NEW DELHI: The Centre has barred officers who had worked in intelligence and security-related organisations from publishing sensitive information. New clauses have been added to the rules, including the conditions that they can’t share any material on the “domain of the organisation” or its personnel.
The Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2021, dated May 31, which was notified by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) late on Tuesday evening, also mentions that such officers “need to take prior permission from the head of the organisation” for publishing such material. In the earlier 2007 rules, permission was to be taken from the head of the department. It has also 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to the head of organisation that they would not publish such information, failing which pension can be “withheld or withdrawn”.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 that was notified in March 2008, 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, who, having worked in any intelligence or security-related organisation shall, without prior clearance from the head of the organisation, make any publication after retirement, of any material relating to and including the 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.”
There was no mention of ‘domain of the organisation’ in the 2007 rules. “Domain may mean core area of the working of an organisation,” an official said.