The State Government has laid down principles to consider promotion of Government servants against whom major penalty proceedings initiated but concluded by completely exonerating or awarding minor penalties.
In fact, the question of the manner and method to be adopted for consideration of promotion of Government servants after exoneration from all charges or awarded with minor penalties on conclusion of disciplinary proceedings drawn u/r 15 of the OCS (CC&A) Rules, 1962 has been under active consideration of the Government for sometime.
Now, the Government has decided that on conclusion of the disciplinary proceeding, if the officer is completely exonerated, he shall be promoted to the next higher grade on notional basis at par with his immediate junior promoted earlier.
The Government servant may be promoted, if necessary by reverting the junior-most employee who has been allowed officiating promotion.
In cases where, after completion of the disciplinary proceedings, an officer has been punished with minor penalties, he shall be given promotion from the date his immediate junior has been given promotion and his pay will be notionally fixed in the time scale of the higher grade with effect from that date.
In cases where an officer has been punished with minor punishment of “suspension” then the officer cannot get promotion with retrospective effect. In such cases, the date of promotion of the officer concerned will be postponed by the period for which he was actually under suspension.
That means he will be promoted from the date on which his period of suspension will be over.
Besides, in cases where the punishment of ‘withholding of promotion’ has been imposed on the officer concerned, then the officer concerned cannot be promoted with retrospective effect.
His case will be taken up in the next Departmental Promotion Committee/ Selection Board/Selection Committee for consideration of his promotion to next higher grade.
Secondly, the State Government has decided that the respective administrative departments shall take immediate steps to frame cadre rules.
As instances have come to the notice of the Government about existence of some cadres in different departments of the Government without having cadre rules to regulate the said cadres as a result of which the employees do not get any promotion and their service conditions are not properly managed, orders have been issued to frame cadre rules immediately.
Where the cadre strength is less than 10 but there is no promotional post and it is not feasible to frame cadre rules to regulate the cadre, the administrative departments concerned may consider upgrading the posts to higher rank by keeping adequate residency period to fill-up the said upgraded promotional posts, said an official.
Similarly, to facilitate promotion, the appointing authorities shall publish the final gradation list of all the employees of the feeder grades latest by November 15 of the previous year in which the DPC sits for consideration of promotion.
A maximum of 15 days time may be allowed for inviting objections from the employees concerned before finalising the gradation list. Now the State Government is harping on timely promotion for its employees as per its 5T charter.