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CS Professional · Compliance Management, Audit and Due Diligence · Values, Ethics and Professional Conduct

Neha Bansal, a young Company Secretary, argues that ethical standards are unnecessary because the Company Secretaries Act already punishes wrongdoing. Which response best explains the importance of ethics beyond legal compliance?

Ethics guide judgment where rules are silent or can be circumvented, and they reinforce the disciplinary framework rather than replace it. The Act sets minimum standards and consequences, while ethical values shape everyday professional decisions and public trust.

  1. AEthics are needed only because law covers no professional conduct
  2. BEthics replace the need for any disciplinary mechanism
  3. CEthics guide judgment where rules are silent or can be bypassed, and reinforce the disciplinary framework rather than replace itCorrect
  4. DEthics matter only for members who have been convicted of an offence

Explanation

Law prescribes minimum standards and consequences; ethics guide conduct in grey areas and build trust. Option A overstates, since the Act does define misconduct through its Schedules. Option B is wrong because ethics complement, not replace, discipline.

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