Valmiki Ramayana 1.25.18
नृशंसम् अनृशंसम् वा प्रजा रक्षण कारणात् ।पातकम् वा सदोषम् वा कर्तव्यम् रक्षता सदा॥
nṛśaṃsam anṛśaṃsam vā prajā rakṣaṇa kāraṇāt |pātakam vā sadoṣam vā kartavyam rakṣatā sadā ||
Our plain-language meaning of this verse is waiting for scholar review.
Open in the book