Permission a must to arrest a public servant

A bill -- “Sarkari Chakori Ain-2018” -- was placed in parliament last night with a provision that makes it mandatory for the Anti-Corruption Commission to take permission for arresting any public servant.

State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadique placed the bill, which was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny.  

The committee has been asked to submit its report within three days.

As per the bill, no public servant can be arrested until a court frames charges against him/her.

A government employee can be arrested before framing a charge only after taking prior permission from the authorities concerned.

Under a provision of the proposed law, a civil servant will be suspended initially and he or she will lose his/her job finally if he or she is given capital punishment or punishment of more than one year in jail for their offences.

However, the authorities will take departmental actions against them in case of a punishment of below one year's jail term.

Under the existing system, the service of public servants is controlled by different laws. All the issues regarding their jobs will come under the umbrella of this proposed law, according to the bill.

The existing age limit for the retirement of public servants remains unchanged at 59 while it is 60 for freedom fighters. 

However, the government can send a public servant on forced retirement on completion of his/her 25 years in service without showing any reason. Any public servant can go on voluntary retirement on completion of 25 years in service.

Merit and open competition will be the main criteria for the recruitment of public servants while promotion will be given based on merit, efficiency, seniority, and performance. 

If any public servant takes a foreign citizenship, he/she will lose the job. Nothing has been said in the proposed law about the dual citizenship. A public servant will get financial support from the government to face a criminal case if it is filed for any cause while performing professional duties.

But if he/she is tried in any criminal case for personal crimes and jailed for more than one year, he/she will lose the job. 

Under the proposed law, the government can realise compensation from a public servant if any complaint lodged against him/her by a citizen is proved to be true and if any citizen is deprived of any service by him/her.