What Is Impartiality And Non-partisanship?
IMPARTIALITY
Impartiality is a principle of justice that states that decisions should be made based on objective criteria rather than bias, prejudice, or an improper preference for one person, entity, or organisation over another. As a result, impartiality is also known as even-handedness or fairness.
Simply put, impartiality means that all decisions should be made solely on the basis of merit. Impartiality can be defined as a situation in which there is no favouritism at all. Let us use an example to better understand the principle of impartiality.
• Example: Assume Mr. X, the Indian cricket team's chief selector, is in charge of selecting a 15-member squad for the upcoming world T20 tournament. Is Mr. X's selection fair or impartial if he chooses the players solely on the basis of their previous performances and potential?
• I'm aware that he has issues with short-pitched deliveries but he is from my region, so I don't care about his batting average or strike rate. As a result, he has been accepted into the team.
• Mr. X's decision is partial and biased towards one region if, rather than selecting the team based on performance or potential, he prefers players from one region over others. In this case, we can conclude that Mr. X did not select the team solely on the basis of merit. His selection was, in fact, regionally biased and prejudiced.
IMPORTANT OF IMPARTIALITY FOR A CIVIL SERVANT
• During the course of his official duties, an administrator must make several important decisions regarding re-hiring, procurement, allotment, and delivery of public goods and services.
• These decisions should be made solely on the basis of merit. To put it another way, the administrator should make these decisions while maintaining impartiality.
• The administrator's decisions should be free of bias and prejudice because he has certain discretionary powers. When making these decisions, he should not show favouritism.
• The public has the right to expect civil servants to act fairly and impartially.
• The administrator's impartiality allows him or her to bridge the trust gap between the people and the government. As a result, impartiality boosts people's faith in the system.
NON-PARTISANSHIP
• Non-partisanship is defined as a lack of allegiance to any political party, organisation, or group. Political neutrality can be equated to non-partisanship. In other words, non-partisanship is the practise of not being affiliated with any political party, even if one strongly believes in its ideology.
• The term "non-partisanship" refers to the administrator's ability to carry out his responsibilities without fear or favour. While performing his official duties, he maintains an apolitical demeanour.
• The constitution, not any political ideology, determines an administrator's values.
Example: An IAS officers always remember that, I am a member of the Indian Administrative Service, and I value impartiality. Neither the right nor the left parties have my support. I am not a supporter of any of the centrist parties. I am not a member of the anarchist movement. Simply put, I am apolitical. I try to stay away from politics.
• I am not afraid of any political party, nor am I a supporter of any political party. I carry out my responsibilities to the best of my abilities and make all of my decisions based on objective criteria that are free of political bias. When I give advice to the government, I keep the people of India in mind, not the ruling political party or any other political party.
• As an IAS officer, I am not committed to any political party. I am dedicated to the rule of law and the Indian Constitution. I am committed to serving my motherland and the Indian people.
IMPORTANCE OF NON-PARTISANSHIP FOR A CIVIL SERVANT
1. Non-partisanship strengthens the democratic process by allowing for a smooth transition between governments, allowing for the continuation of good governance.
2. Non-partisanship ensures that ministers receive objective, evidence-based advice at all times, ensuring that the administration's efficacy is always maintained.
3. If the administrator is a member of a political party, there will always be a faction within the administration that is dissatisfied with government services because they voted for the losing party.
4. Non-partisanship attracts other noble administration pre-requisites such as transparency and honesty.
5. If civil servants remain nonpartisan, they will provide accurate information to ministers, assisting them in fulfilling their constitutional obligations in the legislature.
6. Above all, non-partisanship aids in the development of a professional bureaucracy and preserves the public's perception of the civil service.
As a result, impartiality and non-partisanship are core values in the civil service.