More discipline.. no penalties

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The TS Civil Services (CCA) Rules, 1991 are the primary regulations governing the conduct, discipline and penalties for Government employees. These rules are applied when an employee exhibits negligence in duties, misconduct or violations of service rules. The ultimate goal of these rules is to establish discipline, maintain transparency in administration and provide efficient services to the public.According to the rules, penalties are divided into two main categories- Minor and major penalties.

MINOR PENALTIES

 Censure-A formal reprimand that remains on the employee's record for one year, withholding of promotion, withholding of annual grade increments without cumulative effect for a specific period. Minor penalties also include reduction to a lower stage in the time scale of pay for a period not exceeding three years without cumulative effect and not adversely affecting his pension. Sometimes the period of suspension or certain portion of it will be treated as punishment 

MAJOR PENALTIES

These are more severe and involve reduction to lower time scale of pay, grade, post or service which shall be a bar to the promotion of the employee;   forced retirement before the actual superannuation age; termination that does not necessarily disqualify the person from future government employment; termination  that usually disqualifies the person from any future government employment. Generally, the Appointing Authority or Superior Gazetted officer has the power to initiate disciplinary action. If a specific higher ranking officer is not available, the officer immediately above the employee's rank exercises this power.

As per the instructions in vogue "Minor Penalty" should generally be resolved within six months while a "Major Penalty" inquiry may take longer but must follow due process. When an employee is working in another department on deputation, Lending Authority means the original (parent) department while Borrowing Authority means the department where the employee is currently working on deputation.

The Borrowing Authority has the power to suspend an employee or initiate minor penalty proceedings. However, if a major penalty is deemed necessary, the final decision to dismiss or remove an employee rests with the parent department only. The central theme emphasizes that while penalties exist to correct behavior, the primary object of these rules is to foster a disciplined and honest workforce rather than simply imposing financial or professional burdens.

— Manohar Rao Chilappagari,

Retired Government Official