The Civil Service 2018 bill has been tabled in Parliament with a provision to safeguard public servants from immediate arrests on criminal charges.
State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadique placed the bill on Sunday (Oct 21).
The Hosue then sent the bill to the respective parliamentary standing committee for further examination and 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 charge-framing only after taking prior permission from the authorities concerned.
Under the provision of the new law, a civil servant will be suspended initially and 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.
The authorities, however, will take departmental actions against them in case of a punishment of below one year’s jail term.
On Aug 20, the Cabinet cleared the draft of the bill.
If the House passes the bill it will replace the six existing laws.
The laws are-Public Service Retirement Act, Services Reorganization Act, Public Service Special Provision Ordinance, 1979, Punctual Attendance Act 1982, Dismissal and Conviction Act 1985, Surplus Government Employees Accommodation Act.
According to the new law, 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.
As per law, a civil servant would get promotion based on merit, competence, seniority, training and satisfactory services.
The age limit for entry in the public service would be determined by the rules. The highest age limit of an employee for government job would be 59 years and 60 years 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 in the public interest.
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.