Case 1: N. Prashant
Charge: Making derogatory statements on social media against a senior officer, A. Jayathilak.
Allegation: Prashant claimed that Jayathilak had orchestrated false news reports against him.
Rule Violation: The action was deemed "unbecoming of an IAS officer" and violated service rules.
Case 2: K. Gopalakrishnan
Charge: Creating a religion-based WhatsApp group, "Mallu Hindu Officers," which promoted disunity.
Defense: Gopalakrishnan claimed his phone was hacked.
Investigation Findings: Police found no evidence of hacking and determined that Gopalakrishnan had reset his phone before handing it over.
Rule Violation: The action was deemed "unbecoming of an IAS officer" and violated service rules.
The All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968
The rules outline a code of conduct for IAS, IPS, and IFS officers.
Key Provisions:
Maintaining high standards of ethics, integrity, and honesty.
Upholding constitutional values and political neutrality.
Responsible use of public media.
Avoiding criticism of government policies without prior sanction.
Adhering to the general principle of "unbecoming behavior."
Issues and Considerations
The rules lack explicit guidelines for social media usage.
The broad term "unbecoming behavior" can be open to interpretation and misuse.
There is a need to protect junior officers from potential misuse of rules by senior officials.
Recommendations
Develop clear guidelines for the appropriate use of social media by civil servants.
Provide illustrative examples of actions that would be considered "unbecoming" to provide clarity.
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