Some Government Minister could Well Ask for Non-factual Report

                                       Some Government Minister could Well Ask for Non-factual Report

Seeking a non-factual report was not a revelation to me. I have seen my bosses in a private company frequently demand that, and I was quite adept at that. That is how I survived. Yet, a ministry of the Union Government in Delhi (Tribal Affairs) desired a “factual report” from the Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration fell on me like a ton of bricks (I do not understand how I could have survived had a ton of steel had fallen on me!). The episode is described, if not in vivid detail−hedging by the paper−in The Hindu of 10th September, 2025.

My beef here is not about the ton of what would hurt me more, but about demanding a factual report. A factual report exists only if a non-factual report could exist. Otherwise the adjective is redundant. This is an implicit admission that the government could indeed demand a non-factual report. Ouch! That was more than a ton of bricks.

I know from personal experience and for a fact that an IAS officer would never allow a word to be modified from anything that issues from their office bereft the minister’s OK, written or oral. Therefore, the word “factual”, no matter how low down the official was under whose signature the missive was issued, would have had the imprimatur of an official at or near the very top.

The rest of the newspaper item ran along the usual lines of, “he said that,” and, “no, I did not,” rebutting and counter rebutting. That did not interest me; hence I end this post with my advice to people receiving anything from any government: Don’t get into this Lord Hanuman’s Tail unless you have acceptable and admissible evidence, a factual report. Where do I get such a report? From the appropriate ministry. Who do I approach to find out whether the report that I may have in my possession is appropriate and admissible? Of course the appropriate court, at the appropriate level. How do I know which is the appropriate court and what is the appropriate level? 

Well, book a room in Hilbert’s Hotel, preferably opposite to the building housing the appropriate ministry. Oops, I am back to the end of the line.

Raghuram Ekambaram