The Central Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1965

RULE 29. REVISION:

Government of India Decisions

(1) Procedure to be followed while proposing enhancement of the penalty already imposed on a Government servant:-

Instances have been brought to the notice of this Ministry in which when orders of punishment passed by the subordinate authorities were reviewed under Rule 29 (1) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, and a provisional conclusion reached that the penalty already imposed was not adequate, the authorities concerned set aside/cancelled the order of punishment already passed by the subordinate authorities and simultaneously served show-cause notices for the imposition of higher penalties. Thereafter, the replies of the Government servants to show-cause notices were considered and the Union Public Service Commission also consulted, wherever necessary, before the imposition of enhanced penalties.

It is clarified that in case of the kind mentioned in the preceding paragraph, it is not appropriate to set aside/cancel the penalty already imposed on the Government servants, more so when the revising authority is the President, as strictly speaking cancellation of the penalty, if done in the name of the President amounts to modification by the President of the earlier order of the subordinate authority, for which prior consultation with the Union Public Service Commission is necessary under Regulation 5 (1) (c) of the UPSC (Exemption from Consultation) Regulations, 1958. The correct procedure in such cases will, therefore, be to take action in accordance with the first proviso to Rule 29 (1) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, without cancelling/setting aside the order of the subordinate authority. It is only at the final stage when orders are issued modifying the original penalty, that it would be necessary to set aside the original order of penalty.

[G.I. MHA OM No. 39/2/68-Ests. (A) dated the 14th May, 1968]

(2) President’s power of review under Rule 29 –

Attention is invited to this Department Notification of even number dated the 6th August, 1981 amending Rule 29 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, and introducing Rule 29-A therein. The amendment has been necessitated by the judgment of the Delhi High Court in the case of Shri R.K.Gupta Vs. Union of India and another (Civil Writ Petition Nos. 196 of 1978 and 322 of 1979) in which the High Court has held that under Rule 29 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 –

(1) the President has power to review any order under the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 including an order of exoneration, and

(2) the aforesaid power of review is in the nature of revisionary power and not in the nature of reviewing one’s own order.

The matter has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Law who has observed that the judgment of the Delhi High Court would indicate that the President cannot exercise his revisionary powers in a case in which the power had already been exercised after full consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case. There is, however, no objection to providing for a review by the President of an order passed by him earlier in revision if some new fact or material having the nature of changing the entire complexion of the case comes to his notice later. Accordingly, Rule 29-A, has been introduced specifying the power of the President to make a review of any order passed earlier, including an order passed in revision under Rule 29, when any new fact or material which has the effect of changing the nature of the case comes to his notice. If may also be noted that while the President and other authorities enumerated in Rule 29 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 exercise the power of revision under that rule, the power of review under Rule 29-A is vested in the President only and not in any other authority. With the amendment of Rule 29 and the introduction Rule 29-A, the heading of Part VIII of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 has also been appropriately changed as “Revision and Review”.

[MHA, (D/o P&AR) OM No. 11012/1/80-Ests. (A) dated the 3rd September, 1981]