The Indian government has brought in new rules that allow it to cancel pensions of retired bureaucrats who have served as high-ranking officers in some of the most coveted government jobs... Julio Ribeiro, a retired police officer said the new rules send the message that an officer should “not speak up and be pliant”. “They are asking people to fall in line. They do not want retired bureaucrats speaking against them.”
By Umang Poddar
In the first week of July, the federal government amended the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, giving itself more power to withhold or withdraw the pension of retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officers convicted of a “serious crime” or found guilty of “grave misconduct”.
These three services are among the most sought-after jobs in the country, partly due to their pay security and pension. IAS, IPS and IFS officers are posted to different states – referred to as their cadre – where they spend a considerable amount of time. (Officers are routinely also sent on assignment to work for the federal government.)
Earlier, the federal government had to wait for a reference from the state government where the retired officer served to initiate action against them. It could then decide to withhold the officer’s pension for as long as it deemed fit. However, after the amendment, the federal government can take action against the officer even without a reference from the state government. The new rules have been criticised by several retired bureaucrats, who often question the government on its actions and policies.
On 25 July, 94 former bureaucrats from Constitutional Conduct Group – a civil rights organisation – signed a public statement urging the government to scrap the amendment. They said it was vaguely worded and could be used to impose “a complete ban on the right of retired civil servants to comment on public matters” by keeping officers under the threat of losing their pension….
After the truth-shower 