(a) An independent and empowered social audit mechanism is an absolute must in every sphere of public service, including judiciary, to ensure performance, accountability and ethical conduct. Elaborate. (b) “Integrity is a value that empowers the human being.” Justify with suitable illustration.

(a) Independent social audit as an absolute must

Social audit is a participatory scrutiny of public programmes by the very people they serve, comparing sanctioned intent with ground reality. An independent and empowered mechanism strengthens performance, accountability and ethical conduct because it: exposes leakage and ghost beneficiaries; deters corruption through the certainty of citizen oversight; empowers the marginalised as active stakeholders; and closes the feedback loop between administration and outcomes. Its logic extends even to the judiciary and other constitutional bodies — through mechanisms such as transparent case-disposal data, judicial performance metrics and an in-house accountability framework — because no sphere wielding public power should be exempt from answerability, subject to safeguards for independence. MGNREGA's mandatory social audits and the Meghalaya Community Participation Act show the model's transformative potential.

(b) Integrity empowers the human being

Integrity — wholeness and consistency between values, words and deeds — empowers because it frees a person from the fear of exposure, builds unassailable credibility, and confers moral authority that no rank can grant. An official of proven integrity commands voluntary compliance and can resist pressure without inner conflict. E. Sreedharan delivering the Delhi Metro on time and budget, or T.N. Seshan reforming the Election Commission, illustrate how integrity converts personal conviction into public power.