Nepotism is a practice associated with the the social evil of corruption. Nepotism means favoritism shown towards one's own relatives. According to the dictionary meaning , nepotism refers to "giving undue patronage to one's own relations." Like corruption, nepotism is also a social evil. It is an evil practice in which persons in some public offices bestow patronage on their own relatives in consideration of the family relations and in disregard to merit. In this practice, something is done or undone under the influence of the family relations and in disregard to the accepted norms. Favoring one's own relatives or showing favours to one's own kith and kin is not an uncommon practice. It is not a new trend in the Indian society. It represents one of the oldest forms of corruption. Sociological analysis reveals that social bonds and kinship play an important role in corruption. There seems to be a change in the individual's primary commitments or loyalty. Today, family considerations, kinship ties, friendship obligations, caste, religious and parochial loyalty get precedence in public servant's mind. One's commitment to rules, regulation, laws, values, ideals, morals become secondary. The first obligation of a modern administrator is to his family members, followed by close kin, lineage, or ethnic group. Such ties are more compelling than administrative rules and procedures. The person in the public office who shows favors to his won kith and kin, does not consider his act as a "corrupt practice", nor as a "deviation from rules", but as "family obligation". It appears that nepotism has become widespread today because of this new trend in one' loyalty. This tendency of nepotism s very much rampant among our administrators, bureaucrats and political leaders. In fact, it is connected with power and authority and originates when it is misused. It has become a common thing for our people to expect favours from their relatives who happen to assume public offices. This explains corrupt actions of many a public servant both at the lower and the higher levels. Hence, men in high and low positions have often indulged in nepotism. Politicians in office, the high-ups in the bureaucracy or officers at lower levels have often been found gulity of nepotism.
