Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the Civil Servants (Efficiency & Discipline) Rules, 2020, to ensure transparent department accountability.
A new two-tier system eliminating the authorized officer tier has also been introduced to expedite its process.
The move is expected to resolve the decision-making issues in disciplinary proceedings at a lower level while allowing the authorized officers to sanction minor penalties without requiring them to get the approval of the authority.
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Timeliness
The new set of rules focus on timeliness at every step of the proceedings. Officers charged with either misconduct or other offenses will have 14 days to submit a reply regarding it. The inquiries will be completed within sixty days and the authority is bound to decide the case within thirty days. Previously, there had been no timeframe for the conclusions of the proceedings which had allowed for the cases against corrupt/incompetent officers to linger for years.
Plea Bargain
The Civil Servants (Efficiency & Discipline) Rules have also introduced the opportunity for accused officers to have personal hearings to ensure just decisions are made in the cases against them. The option of a plea bargain and voluntary return has been included for the first time in the definition of the term ‘misconduct’.
Procedural issues relating to the provision of record, slackness on part of the Departmental Representatives, suspensions, proceedings against officers on deputation/leave/scholarship, etc. have been clearly provided.
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Empowering Establishment Division
Under the new rules, the Establishment Division has the authority to issue either directives or clarifications to avoid delays in the proceedings.
If multiple officers are charged in a single case, the restriction of appointing one Inquiry Officer has been imposed ‘to ensure transparency and avoid different decisions in a single case’.
In case a PAS or a PSP officer is deputed to a province, the provincial chief secretary is bound to submit a fact-finding report, the failure of which will prompt a direct intervention from the Establishment Division.
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