The “Rules” Are Just Guidelines for the Elite

They tell us from the day we join that this is a government institution—that the rules are absolute, the process is transparent, and the ‘Rule Book’ is our Bible. But after five years in this office, I’ve realized that the Rule Book is actually a selective filter. It’s a weapon used to block people you don't like, and a suggestion you can ignore for people you do. The Tale of Two Files I see it every single day. A young, non-tenured faculty member or a junior staff submits a request for a reimbursement. The file moves through the desks like it’s being audited by the CBI. It’s flagged for a missing stamp, a missing signature, a slight deviation from the GFR (General Financial Rules). We spend days sending it back, citing 'strict compliance' and 'procedural sanctity.' But then, a ‘High-Profile’ professor—someone with clout, or perhaps someone who sits on the right committees—submits a similar request. Suddenly, the rules become ‘flexible.’ The same circular that was used to deny the junior staff yesterday is now interpreted ‘liberally’ to accommodate the senior professor. Suddenly, we find ‘exceptions’ to the policy. We expedite the signatures. We skip the verification steps that we insisted were mandatory just 24 hours ago. The most frustrating part isn’t even the favoritism; it’s the gaslighting. When you point out the inconsistency, you’re told, ‘You don't understand the larger administrative context,’ or ‘This is a special case.’ It’s a convenient way of saying, ‘Rules apply to the people we don’t care about; exceptions apply to the people we need.’ I’ve watched colleagues lose promotions, lose funding, and get stuck in permanent disciplinary limbo because of a minor technicality that the officers simply chose not to overlook. Yet, I’ve seen those same officers look the other way when a favored person commits a blatant violation—because ‘we shouldn't discourage high-performers with petty bureaucracy.’ Why don't we speak up? Because in this hierarchy, the ones who notice the discrepancies are the ones who get labeled as ‘difficult’ or ‘insubordinate.’ You learn quickly that if you want to survive, you turn your head, you stamp the paper, and you don't ask why the rules suddenly changed for the person in the fancy office. We all know who the ‘protected’ are. We know exactly which files need to be processed within an hour and which ones can sit on a shelf for three weeks. It’s an open secret that dictates every interaction in this institute. We aren't really running an institution based on merit; we’re running an institution based on who has the social capital to make the rules disappear."