Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 2
To ensure that sensitive information does not come out in public domain, the government has amended the rules to bar officers retired from intelligence and security-related organisations from publishing sensitive information.
The Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2021, notified by the Department of personnel & Training (DoPT) late Tuesday evening, also mention that such officers “need to take prior permission from the head of the organisation” for publishing such material. As per 2007 rules, permission was to be taken from the head of the department.
It has been made clear in the amended rules that all employees would require to give an undertaking to the head of organisation that they would not publish such information failing which pension can be “withheld or withdrawn”.
According to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2007, all such employees are already barred from publishing any sensitive information, “the disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India”.
The amended provision now reads, “No government servant having worked in any intelligence or security-related organisation shall without 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 organisation.”
The rules apply to employees who retire from the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Aviation Research Centre, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guards, Central Industrial Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police among others. The list also includes the Narcotics Control Bureau, Special Frontier Force, Special Protection Group and Financial Intelligence Unit.
Sterner rules in place