‘Probity in governance is the absence not just of corruption, but also of moral indifference.’ Examine in the context of institutions like CVC, Lokpal and CAG.

Definition: Probity is uncompromised integrity in process and action; moral indifference — knowing wrong yet not acting — corrodes probity as surely as active corruption, because silence ratifies the wrong.

Illustration: The CVC, Lokpal and CAG are India's three probity pillars. Vinod Rai's CAG audit of the 2G spectrum allocation (2010) demonstrated that probity demands disclosure of systemic loss, not bureaucratic silence. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 became operational only in 2019, and its first chairperson took office after years of delay; the dormancy reflects institutional moral indifference. The CVC's vigilance advisories are routinely diluted at the disciplinary stage, as the 2nd ARC's Ethics in Governance Report flagged. T.N. Seshan's tenure showed that institutional probity requires individuals willing to disrupt comfortable conventions; Ashok Khemka's repeated transfers in Haryana are the personal cost of unwavering probity.

Application: Activating the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2014 through notified rules would convert these institutions from formal oversight to substantive probity guardians.