New Agenda: Will a good officer remain efficient ever? Can govt stop retirement as exit for officers facing enquiries?

THE Centre believes that a good officer may not continue as efficient all the time, thereby forcing the government to adopt rules of compulsory retirement. In a DoPT-convened meeting of state principal secretaries in-charge of general administration — scheduled to be held in New Delhi on April 22 — the Centre wants a free-wheeling discussion on compulsory retirement and the rules therein. In the agenda paper circulated to all state chief secretaries, the DoPT says “the order of compulsory retirement shall not be passed as a short cut to avoid departmental enquiry”. In fact, there are…

instances where officers facing departmental inquiries escape stringent punishment by managing voluntary retirement, leave along compulsory retirement. “If the officer was given a promotion despite adverse entries made in the confidential record, that is a fact in favour of the officer”, the agenda paper adds.

In the meeting on general administration to be held in New Delhi on Friday, there will be discussions on how it is not necessary that a good officer may continue to be efficient for all times to come. “There may be some officers who may possess a better initiative and higher standard of efficiency and if given chance the work of the Government might show marked improvement. The rule merely seeks to strike a just balance between maintenance of efficacy in the diverse activities of State administration and cessation of the completed career of an officer whose integrity is doubtful and his services are no longer useful to the administration and public”, the agenda paper says. 

The rule being talked about here is the 16 (3) of All India Services (Death-cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 under which service records of All India Services officers are done. 

The government has however made it very clear that the order of premature retirement can be passed only after having due regard to the entire service record of the officer.

The same meeting on Friday will also discuss the acute shortage of manpower in the rank of constable, head constable, inspector and superintendent of police etc. in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The state governments have not been proactive enough in providing the CBI the officials (on deputation) despite the investigation agency’s workload has increased manifold recently because of the courts passing on more and more cases to it. 
Recently, the government has also sanctioned 598 new posts for CBI for investigation into Vyapam scam cases and Chit fund/Ponzi scam cases. But these posts have not been filled up so far.