IAS and IPS officers overstaying on foreign assignments or remain on unauthorised leave without permission stand to lose their jobs under new rules unveiled by the government on Tuesday (November 3) that reduces the grace period.
Cracking down on such delinquent officers, the government's move came after it was noticed that some officials were not reporting back to India after completion of their foreign postings. Some of them were also proceeding on unauthorised leave soon after completing their tenure abroad.
There are 10 IAS officers who are at present on unauthorised leave and necessary action is being taken against them, said a senior official in DoPT, the cadre controlling authority for IAS.
In case states fail to act against delinquent officers, the Centre will on its own initiate proceedings of "deemed resignation" against them, according to the rules.
If an officer of all India service – Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS), remains unauthorisedly absent after the sanctioned period of leave, study leave or tenure of foreign assignment, there shall be a one month waiting period, the rules said.
After that, the state government concerned under whose cadre the officer hails from, shall issue a show cause notice, thereby giving him an opportunity to explain his case.
Thereafter, if the officer does not return to duty, the state government concerned shall initiate proceedings of deemed resignation and forward a proposal to the Centre for effecting it within next two months, it said, adding that the process of deemed resignation should be completed within three months time.
In case the state government fails to comply with these instructions, the central government shall initiate proceedings of deemed resignation on its own, the rules finalised by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
"However, there is no bar in issuing show cause notice and seek clarification from a member of service for being unauthorisedly absent any time during one year period of unauthorised absence," it said.
But after period of one year of unauthorised absence, the whole process of deemed resignation shall be completed within three months, the rules said.
As per existing rules, an officer shall be deemed to have resigned from service if he is absent without authorisation for a period exceeding one year from the date of expiry of sanctioned leave or continues on foreign assignment beyond the period approved by the central government.
The DoPT has sent the new rules to chief secretaries of state governments and union territories, and also to Home and Environment, forest and climate change ministries – cadre controlling authorities for IPS and IFoS respectively.
