DEVIANCE BY BUREAUCRATS
AUTHOR – R.N. VEDHA GEETHAN, LLM, CRIMINALOGY STUDENT AT TAMIL NADU DR AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN LAW
BEST CITATION – R.N. VEDHA GEETHAN, DEVIANCE BY BUREAUCRATS, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (9) OF 2026, PG. 669-681, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
ABSTRACT
The government of India has three significant organs, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary and it has been given separate roles and powers by the constitution of India to execute their functions independently. The executive branch of government consisting of ministers, bureaucrats and whole of government machinery which have major role in implementing the laws framed by the legislative assembly for the welfare of the citizens. The ultimate responsibility for running administration in an effective manner relies on the shoulders of the elected representatives who were elected to run day to administration of the government. Bureaucracy plays a very important role in maintaining the administrative efficiency, implementing government policies and ensure welfare of the general public. However the deviant behavior among bureaucrats has become a threatening concern in the modern way of administration. Deviance by bureaucrats generally refers to any form of unethical. Unlawful or carrying improper conduct by the public officials that deviates from the already established rule, administrative ethics and legal standards. Some of the deviant acts include favoritism, abuse of power, corruption, negligence, red-tapism, bribery, misuse of public resource, and administrative misconduct. These types of deviant activities by public officials not only provides personal benefits but also it weakens the public trust towards government, compromises government efficiency and becomes a major obstacle for the socio-economic development of the particular society.
This research project examines the nature of deviance by bureaucrats and the causes and consequence of such deviance among bureaucrats. This study majorly focuses on personal, social, economic, political and institutional factors responsible for the deviant conduct among the public officials. This study also analyses how the deviant behavior affects the proper governance, its transparency and accountability and also affects the public confidence among the administrative institutions. This study further examines the effectiveness of the legal mechanisms, anti-corruption laws made to curb the corrupt practices, disciplinary procedures and administrative reforms made by the government in controlling bureaucratic misconduct to provide effective administration.
KEY WORDS:
Bureaucrats, Unethical, Bribery, Misconduct, Bureaucracy, Ethical Administration.