Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved Civil Servants Efficiency andDiscipline Rules, 2020 to ensure transparent and effective internalaccountability of civil servants.
To speed-up the process of ensuring efficiency and discipline among civilbureaucracy, the tier of Authorized Officer has been eliminated, leavingonly two tiers,which include Authority and Inquiry Officer and Committee.
The two-tier process will resolve the issue of decision of disciplinaryproceedings at lower level by awarding minor penalties by the AuthorizedOfficer, without seeking approval of the authority.
Timelines have been introduced at every step of the proceedings, whichinclude ten to fourteen days for submission of response to charges andsixty days for for completion of an enquiry.
The Authority has to decide case within thirty days as previously, no fixedtimeframe to conclude the proceedings was available that resulted inlingering on the cases for extended period.
To facilitate just decisions of the cases, opportunity of personal hearingshall now be provided by the Authority or Hearing Officer.
For the first time, plea bargain and voluntary return have been included inthe definition of misconduct and such Civil Servants shall now be proceededagainst.
Procedural issues relating to provision of record, slackness on part ofdepartmental representatives, suspension, proceedings against officers ondeputation, leave, or scholarship have been clearly provided in the newrules.
Establishment Division has been authorized to issue subsidiary instructionsand clarifications to avoid any delays.
In case of multiple suspected officers in a single case, restriction ofappointing a single Inquiry Officer has been imposed to ensure transparencyand avoid different decisions in a single case.
In case of Police Service of Pakistan and Pakistan Administrative Serviceofficers posted in provinces, a two months’ timeline has been provided toChief Secretary for submission of fact finding report, failing whichEstablishment Division can proceed on its own.