Govt broadens rules to bar retired officials from publishing sensitive information
The Centre has amended its rules barring officers who had labored in intelligence and safety associated organisations from publishing sensitive information by including new clauses, together with the circumstances that they will’t share any materials on “domain of the organisation” and its personnel.
The Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2021, dated May 31 and notified late Tuesday, additionally states that they want to take prior permission from the “head of the organization” for publishing such materials. In the sooner 2007 rules, permission was to be taken from the pinnacle of the division.
All workers would have to give an endeavor to the pinnacle of organisation that they’d not publish such information failing which pension may be “withheld or withdrawn”, the modification states.
According to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules 2007 that was notified in March 2008, all such workers are already barred from publishing any sensitive information, “the disclosure of which might prejudicially have an effect on the sovereignty and integrity of India”.
The amended provision now reads, “No government servant, who, having worked in any intelligence or security-related organization…shall, without prior clearance from the head of the organisation, make any publication after retirement, of any material relating to and including domain of the organisation, including any reference or information about any personnel and his designation, and expertise or knowledge gained by virtue of working in that organization”.
There was no point out of area of the organisation and reference to any personnel within the 2007 rules.
“Domain may be taken to mean core area or core areas of the working of an organisation,” an official defined.
The head of the organisation will resolve whether or not the proposed materials for publication is sensitive or non-sensitive, and whether or not it falls within the area of the group, in accordance to the amended rules.
The 2007 rules had barred the workers from publishing materials together with “sensitive information, the disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state, or relation with a foreign state or which would lead to incitement of an offence” after their retirement.
The rules apply to workers who retire from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Aviation Research Centre, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guards, Central Industrial Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police amongst others.
The checklist additionally consists of the Narcotics Control Bureau, Special Frontier Force, Special Protection Group and Financial Intelligence Unit.
The CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, which have been amended to make method for 2007 and 2021 rules, nevertheless, don’t apply to officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) amongst others. The CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 apply to these appointed on or earlier than December 31, 2003.
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