Telangana act 002 of 1994 : The Telangana (Regulation of Appointments to Public Services and Rationalisation of Staff Pattern and Pay Structure) Act, 1994.

Section 1.Short title and commencement.

(1) This Act may be called the ¹Telangana (Regulation of Appointments to Public Services and Rationalisation of Staff Pattern and Pay Structure) Act, 1994.

(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force with effect on and from the 25th November, 1993.

1. Substituted by G.O.Ms.No.16, Finance (HRM.I) Department, dated 26.02.2016.

Section 2.Definitions.

In this Act unless the context otherwise requires,-

(i) competent authority means the officer or authority specified by the Government by notification to exercise the powers and perform the functions of a competent authority under this Act and they may specify the different authorities for different purposes, different districts and different departments and institutions;

(ii) daily wage employee means any person who is employed in any public service on the basis of payment of daily wages and includes a person employed on the basis of nominal muster roll or consolidated pay either on full-time or part-time or piece rate basis or as a work charged employee and any other similar category of employees by whatever designation called other than those who are selected and appointed in a sanctioned post in accordance with the relevant rules on a regular basis;

(iii) Government means the State Government;

(iv) local authority means,-

(a) a Gram Panchayat established under the ¹Andhra Pradesh Gram Panchayats Act, 1964;

(b) a Mandal Praja Parishad or a Zilla Praja Parishad established under the ¹Andhra Pradesh Mandala Praja Parishads, Zilla Praja Parishads and Zilla Pranalika and Abhivrudhi Sameeksha Mandals Act, 1986;

(d) a Municipal Corporation established under the relevant law, for the time being in force, relating to Municipal Corporations;

(v) Notification means, a notification published in the ³Telangana Gazette;

⁴[(vi) Public Services for the purposes of this Act means, services in any office or establishment of:-

(a) the Government;

(b) a local authority;

(d) a body established under any law made by the Legislature of the State whether incorporated or not; including a University;

(e) a Co-operative Society registered under the ⁵Telangana Co-operative Societies Act, 1964; and

(f) any other body established by the State Government or by a Society, other than the Society specified under sub-clause (e), registered under any law relating to the registration of societies for the time being in force, and receiving funds from the State Government either fully or partly for its maintenance or any educational institution whether registered or not but receiving aid from the Government.]

1. Now see the provisons under the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018 (Act No.5 of 2018).

2. Adapted in G.O.Ms.No.142, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (F2) Department, dated 29.10.2015.

3. Substituted by G.O.Ms.No.16, Finance (HRM.I) Department, dated 26.02.2016.

4. Clause (vi) substituted by Act No.5 of 2004.

5. Adapted in G.O.Ms.No.53, Agriculture & Co-operation (Coop.II) Department, dated 20.05.2016.

Section 3.Prohibition of daily wage appointments and regulation of temporary appointments.

(1) The appointment of any person in any public service to any post, in any class, category or grade as a daily wage employee is hereby prohibited.

(2) No temporary appointment shall be made in any public service to any post, in any class, category or grade without the prior permission of the competent authority and without the name of the concerned candidate being sponsored by the Employment Exchange.

Section 4.Regulation of recruitment.

¹[(1)] No recruitment in any public service to any post in any class, category or grade shall be made except,

(a) from the panel of candidates selected and recommended for appointment by the Public Service Commission/College Service Commission where the post is within the purview of the said Commission;

(b) from a panel prepared by any Selection Committee constituted for the purpose in accordance with the relevant rules or orders issued in that behalf; and

²[(c) from the candidates having the requisite qualification either sponsored by the Employment Exchange or applied in response to the wide publicity of vacancy position through Daily News paper having wider circulation or Employment News Bulletin and also display on the Office Notice Boards or announcement through Radio or Television in other cases where recruitment otherwise than in accordance with clauses (a) and (b) is permissible.]

³[xxx]

⁴[(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall apply,-

(a) to the compassionate appointments made in favour of a son or a daughter or spouse of any person employed in public service who dies in harness or who retires from service on medical grounds, in accordance with the relevant orders issued from time to time;

⁵[(b) to the appointments made in favour of a son or daughter or spouse or a grand son (sons son) or a grand daughter (sons daughter) or a grand son (dependent daughters son) or a grand daughter (dependent daughters daughter) of any married person or a brother or a sister or parent of any unmarried person killed or totally incapacitated in extremist violence or in police firing or bomb-blast or in communal violence irrespective of the age of the killed who is not accused of an offence, made in accordance with the relevant orders issued from time to time.

Explanation:- totally incapacitated means certified as such by the Medical Board;]

⁶[(c) to the appointments made in favour of members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, who or whose parents or spouse are subjected to atrocities, in accordance with the relevant orders issued from time to time;]

⁷[(d) to any suitable appointments to be made in compliance with assurance bearing Number 2488/X/96, Assembly Secretariat, dated 10th September, 1996 made on the floor of the Legislative Assembly of the State.]

1. Section 4 renumbered as sub-section (1) of section (4) by Act No.16 of 1997.

2. Clause (c) substituted by Act No.5 of 2009.

3. Explanation omitted by Act No.16 of 1997.

4. Added by Act No.16 of 1997.

5. Clause (b) substituted by Act No.5 of 2009.

6. Clause (c) added by Act No.3 of 1998.

7. Clause (d) added by Act No.27 of 1998.

Section 5.Bills not to be passed.

Where an appointment is not in accordance with section 4, the drawing authority shall not sign the salary bill of the appointee concerned and the Pay and Accounts Officer, Sub-Treasury Officer or any other officer who is charged with the responsibility of passing the salary bill shall not pass such bill unless a certificate issued by the appointing authority to the effect that the appointment has been made in accordance with section 4 is attached to the first salary bill of the appointee concerned.

Section 6.Penalties.

(1) Where any holder of an elective office or any officer or authority makes any appointment in contravention of the provisions of this Act,-

(a) it shall be deemed in the case of the holder of an elective office that he has abused his position or power and accordingly the competent authority shall initiate proceedings for his removal; and

(b) in the case of an officer or authority it shall be deemed that he is guilty of misconduct and the competent authority shall initiate action under the relevant disciplinary rules.

(2) In addition to taking action under sub-section (1) the pay and allowances paid to the person whose appointment is in contravention of the provisions of this Act shall be deemed to be an illegal payment and a loss to the Government or, as the case may be, to the concerned institution and the same shall be recoverable by surcharging the same under the ¹Telangana State Audit Act, 1989 against the person, officer or authority who makes such appointment in contravention of the provisions of this Act or where such surcharge is not possible under the said Act in accordance with such manner as may be prescribed including as arrears of land revenue.

1. Adapted in G.O.Ms.No.45, Law (F) Department, dated 01.06.2016.

Section 7.Bar for regularisation of services.

No person who is a daily wage employee and no person who is appointed on a temporary basis under ¹[section 3 and no person who] is continuing as such at the commencement of this Act shall have or shall be deemed ever to have a right to claim for regularisation of services on any ground whatsoever and the services of such person shall be liable, to be terminated at any time without any notice and without assigning any reasons:

²[Provided that the services of those persons continuing as on the 25th November, 1993 having completed a continuous minimum period of five years of service on or before 25th November, 1993 either on daily wage, or nominal muster roll, or consolidated pay or as a contingent worker on full time basis, shall be regularized in substantive vacancies, if they were otherwise qualified fulfilling the other conditions stipulated in the scheme formulated in G.O.Ms.No.212, Finance & Planning (FW.PC.III) Department, dated the 22nd April, 1994:]

³[Provided further that the services of a person who worked on part-time basis continuously for a minimum period of ten years and is continuing as such on the date of the commencement of this Act shall be regularized in accordance with the scheme formulated in G.O.(P).112, Finance & Planning (FW.PC.III) Department, dated the 23rd July, 1997:]

⁴[Provided also that] in the case of Workmen falling within the scope of section 25-F of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, one month‟s wages and such compensation as would be payable under the said section shall be paid in case of termination of Services:

⁴[Provided also that] nothing in this section, shall apply to the Workmen governed by Chapter V-B of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

Explanation:- For the removal of doubts it is hereby declared that the termination of services under this section shall not be deemed to be dismissal or removal from service within the meaning of article 311 of the Constitution or of any other relevant law providing for the dismissal or removal of employees but shall only amount to termination simpliciter, not amounting to any punishment.

1. Substituted for “section 3 and” by Act No.3 of 1998.

2. First proviso inserted by Act No.3 of 1998 and subsequently substituted by Act No.27 of 1998.

3. Provisos one and two inserted by Act No.3 of 1998.

4. Substituted by Act No.3 of 1998.

Section 7A.Abatement of Claims.

¹[7A. Abatement of Claims:- (1) Notwithstanding any Government order, judgement, decree or order of any Court, Tribunal or other authority, no person shall claim for regularization of service under the first proviso to section 7 as it was incorporated by the Andhra Pradesh (Regulation of Appointments to Public Services and Rationalisation of Staff Pattern and Pay Structure) (Amendment) Act, 1998.

(2) No suit or other proceedings shall be maintained or continued in any Court, Tribunal or other authority against the Government or any person or other authority whatsoever for regularization of services and all such pending proceedings shall abate forthwith.

(3) No Court shall enforce any decree or order directing the Government or any person or other authority whatsoever for regularization of services.]

1. Section 7A inserted with marginal heading by Act No.27 of 1998.

Section 8.Power to give directions.

For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this Act, it shall be competent for the Government, the Pay and Accounts Officer, the Director of Treasuries and Accounts, the Director of State Audit, Director of Accounts of the Project Department or any Head of the Department of the Government to issue such directions as they may deem fit to their subordinates and the subordinate shall comply with such directions where any subordinate officer is guilty of non-compliance with such directions it shall be deemed that he is guilty of misconduct for proceeding under the relevant disciplinary rules.

Section 9.Abatement of claims.

Notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, decree or order of any court, tribunal or other authority, the claims for regular appointment of all daily wage employees and persons appointed on a temporary basis, shall stand abated and accordingly,-

(a) no suit or other proceeding shall be instituted, maintained or continued in any court, tribunal or other authority by the daily wage or temporary appointees against the Government or any person or authority whatsoever for the regularization of the services;

(b) no court shall enforce any decree or order directing the regularisation of the services of such persons; and

Section 10.Creation of Posts.

(1) No post shall be created in any office or establishment relating to a public service without the previous sanction of the competent authority.

(2) Any appointment made to any post created in violation of sub-section (1) shall be invalid and the provisions of sections 5, 6 and 7 shall mutatis mutandis apply to such appointments.

Section 10-A.Regularisation of Services of persons appointed on contract basis.

¹[10-A. Regularisation of Services of persons appointed on contract basis:- Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Government may regularize the services of the persons appointed on contract basis against the sanctioned posts in the Government, subject to fulfillment of the following conditions:

1. Availability of a post in the relevant category in the respective departments shall be the pre-requisite condition for considering regularization.

2. Regularization may be considered only in respect of persons appointed on full time contract basis on a monthly remuneration.

3. Regularization may be considered only in respect of eligible personnel working as on 2nd June, 2014, immediately before formation of Telangana State, and continuing till the date of proposed regularization.

4. For the purpose of continuity the annual breaks in certain vacation departments like Education and Welfare Departments may be ignored. This condonation shall not, however, apply in respect of breaks on account of unauthorized absence and disciplinary cases.

5. The regularization shall be with prospective effect, i.e., from the date of issue of orders of regularization and appointment to the category.

6. The backlog in reservations if any arising out of regularization as above shall be carried forward and treated as backlog vacancies for that particular category.]

1. Section 10A added with marginal heading by G.O.Ms.No.16, Finance (HRM.I) Department, dated 26.02.2016.

Section 11.Review Committees.

(1) Within a period of one month from the date of commencement of this Act, the Government shall constitute a Committee with an officer not less in rank than a Secretary to Government as the Chairman and such number of members of such rank as they may deem fit, to review,-

(a) the existing staff pattern in any office or establishment employing persons belonging to any public service keeping in view the workload of such office or establishment; and

(b) the pay scales, allowances, exgratia, bonus, pension, gratuity and other terminal benefits and perquisites applicable to the post belonging to any public service of such office or establishment (other than the teaching staff of the Universities) keeping in view the qualifications and job requirements of each such post.

(2) After undertaking review under sub-section (1) the committee shall submit a report with its recommendations to the Government for such action as may be prescribed by rules made in this behalf.

(3) The Committee shall regulate its own procedure for discharging the functions under this section.

(4) All orders and decisions of the Committee shall be authenticated by the Chairman or a member authorized by him in this behalf.

Explanation:- For the purposes of this section Secretary to Government includes a Principal Secretary or Special Secretary to Government.

Section 12.Committee to exercise the powers of the Civil Court.

(1) The Committee constituted under section 11 shall, while discharging the duties under this Act, have all the powers of a Civil Court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 in respect of the following matters namely:-

(a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath;

(b) requiring the discovery and production of any document;

(d) requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office; and

(e) issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents.

(2) For purposes of discharging its duties the Committee shall have the right to inspect or cause to be inspected any office or establishment referred to in subsection (1) of section 11.

Section 13.Offences and Punishments.

(1) Any person or authority who contravenes the provisions of this Act shall apart from the penalties otherwise provided for, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months and which may extend upto two years and also with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees but which may extend upto ten thousand rupees.

(2) No Court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this section except with the previous sanction of the Government.

Section 14.Penalty for abetters.

Whoever abets any offence punishable under this Act shall be punished with the punishment provided for in this Act for such offence.

Section 15.Offences by Companies.

Where an offence against any of the provisions of this Act or any rule made thereunder has been committed by a Company, every person, who at the time of the offence was committed, was incharge of, and was responsible to the company for the conduct shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment, if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he had exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in sub-section (1) where any such offence has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence, has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable, to any neglect on the part of, any Director, Manager, Secretary or other officer of the Company, shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Explanation:- For the purpose of this section,-

(a) “Company” means a company as defined in the ¹Companies Act, 1956 and includes a University, a firm, a society or other association of individuals; and

(b) “Director” in relation to,-

(i) a “firm” means a partner in the firm;

(ii) a University, a society or other association of individuals means the person who is entrusted with the power to make appointments in the case of a University under the concerned law under which the University is established, and in other cases, under the rules of the society or other association, as the case may be.

1. See now Companies Act, 2013 (Central Act No.18 of 2013).

Section 16.Bar of jurisdiction of Civil Courts.

No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act or the rules made thereunder.

Section 17.Act to override other laws.

The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force or any judgement, decree or order of any court, tribunal or other authority.

Section 18.Power to make rules.

(1) The Government may by notification, make rules for carrying out all or any of the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every rule made under this Act shall immediately after it is made, be laid before the Legislature of the State, if it is in session and if it is not in session, in the session immediately following for a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions, and if, before the expiration of the session in which it is so laid or the session immediately following the Legislature agrees in making any modification in the rule or in the annulment of the rule, the rule shall, from the date on which the modification or annulment is notified, have effect only in such modified form or shall stand annulled as the case may be so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

Section 19.Guidelines for interpretation of Act.

The Schedule to this Act shall constitute the guidelines for the interpretation and implementation of this Act.

Section 20.Repeal of Ordinance 8 of 1993.

The Andhra Pradesh (Regulation of Appointments to Public Services and Rationalisation of Staff Pattern and Pay Structure) Ordinance, 1993 is hereby repealed.