(1) These regulations may be called the Dakshin Bihar Gramin Bank (Officers and Employees) Service Regulations, 2010.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
(3) They shall apply to every officer and employee of the Bank:
Provided that they shall not apply, except as otherwise provided in these regulations or to such extent as may be specifically or generally specified by the Board to,
(a) a person employed temporarily on daily wages or to such person engaged on contract;
(b) a person on deputation from Sponsor Bank, the Central Government, the State Government or any other organisation.
2. Definitions. (1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires,
(a) Act means the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 (21 of 1976);
(b) Appointing Authority means the authority prescribed in sub-regulation (1) of regulation 5;
(c) Bank means Dakshin Bihar Gramin Bank established under sub - section (1) of section 3 of the Act;
(d) Board means the Board of Directors of the Bank;
(e) Branch Manager means an officer in charge of the branch of the Bank;
(f) Calendar Year means the period commencing from the 1st day of January of the year and ending with the 31st day of December of such year;
(g) Competent Authority means
(i) The Chairman in respect of Officer Scale - III, IV & V
(ii) The General Manager in respect of Officer Scale - I and Officer Scale - II, and
(iii) an Officer not below the rank of Scale-IV in respect of employees relating to Group B Office Assistant (Multipurpose) and Group C Office Attendant (Multipurpose) as decided by the Board.
(h) Duty includes,
(i) service as a probationer,
(ii) period during which an officer or employee is on joining time,
(iii) period spent on casual leave, special casual leave duly authorised by the competent authority,
(iv) period spent on training while in service,
(v) period spent on attachment or deputation to other organizations;
(i) Emoluments means the aggregate of salary and allowances, if any;
(j) Employee means an employee of the Bank as classified under clause (b) and (c) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 3, and includes such employee whose services are lent to other organizations under regulation 75;
(k) Family means and includes the spouse of the officer or employee (if the spouse is also not the officer or employee of the Bank) and children, parents, brothers and sisters of the officer or employee wholly dependent on the officer or employee but shall not include a legally separated spouse;
(l) Officer means an officer of the Bank as classified under Clause (a) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 3;
(m) Pay means basic pay drawn per month by the officer or employee in a pay-scale including stagnation increments and any part of the emoluments which may specifically be classified as pay under these regulations.
(ma) Pension Regulations means the Dakshin Bihar Gramin Bank (Employees') Pension Regulations, 2018;.
(n) Regional Manager means an officer holding the charge of regional office of the Bank;
(o) Salary means aggregate of pay and dearness allowance.
(p) Sponsor Bank means the Punjab National Bank.
(2) Words and expressions used here in and not defined but defined in the Act have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Act.
Chapter - II
CLASSIFICATION OF OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES, APPOINTMENT,
PROBATION AND TERMINATION OF SERVICE
3. Classification of officers and employees. (1) The officers and employees of the Bank shall be classified as follows, namely,
(a) Group A Officer
Junior Management
(i) Scale I (Assistant Manager)
Middle Management
(ii) Scale II (Manager)
(iii) Scale III (Senior Manager)
Senior Management
(iv) Scale IV (Chief Manager)
(v) Scale V (Assistant General Manager)
Explanation: For the purposes of these regulations, the Chairman may designate the officer, as Branch Manager, Regional Manager or General Manager, depending on the work or functions assigned and the scale of the officer.
(b) Group B - Office Assistants (Multipurpose).
(c) Group C Office Attendants (Multipurpose).
(2) Nothing in this regulation shall be construed as requiring the Bank to have at all times all the cadres or categories of the officers or employees serving the Bank.
4. Casual employees. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in these regulations, the Chairman may, subject to such general or special instructions as may be issued by the Board from time to time and in consultation with the Sponsor Bank appoint person(s) in Group C on casual basis for a period not exceeding 90 days in a year to meet any exigency.
5. Appointment of the officer and employee in the Bank's service. (1) The Chairman shall be the Appointing Authority in respect of officer and the General Manager shall be the Appointing Authority in respect of employee:
Provided that if there is no incumbent to the post of General Manager, the Chairman shall be the Appointing Authority in respect of employee also.
(2) Save as provided in regulation 4, all appointments in the Bank shall be made in accordance with the rules made by the Central Government in terms of section 29 of the Act.
(3) Every officer or employee on his first appointment in the service of the Bank, shall be required to produce a certificate of fitness by the medical authority as may be specified by the Bank.
(4) (i) Disqualification, No officer or employee,
(a) who has entered into or contracted a marriage with a person having a spouse living, or
(b) who, having a spouse living, have entered into or contracted a marriage with any person,
shall be eligible for appointment to the said post:
Provided that the Appointing Authority may, if satisfied that such marriage is permissible under the personal law applicable to such person and the other party to the marriage and that there are other grounds for so doing, exempt from the operation of this regulation;
(ii) every officer or employee on his first appointment in the service of the Bank shall furnish a declaration about his marital status as per Schedule, - I.
6. Scale of Pay and Allowances. The scale of pay, allowances and increments of an officer or employee appointed to a post in any of the Groups referred to in regulation 3, shall be such as may be determined by the Central Government from time to time, under sub-section (1) of section 17 of the Act.
7. Commencement of service. Service of a person appointed in the Bank shall commence on the working day on which he reports for duty on a post in accordance with the terms and conditions of the offer of appointment made to him:
Provided that in the event of his joining in the afternoon of such working day, he shall not be entitled to draw pay and allowances for that day.
8. Probation. (1) An Officer directly appointed in Group A Post shall be on probation for a period of two years, which may be extended by the Appointing Authority for a period not exceeding one year.
(2) An employee promoted to a post in Scale I of Group A shall be on probation for a period of one year, which may be extended by the Appointing Authority for a period not exceeding six months.
(3) (a) An employee directly appointed in Group B or Group C shall be on probation for a period of one year which may be extended by the Appointing Authority for a period not exceeding six months;
(b) An employee in Group C promoted to a post in Group B shall be on probation for a period of six months, which may be extended by the Appointing Authority for a period not exceeding three months.
(4) Probation period of an officer or employee shall be liable to be extended within the permissible limits to the extent of extra ordinary leave availed by him or if in the opinion of Appointing Authority his performance was dissatisfactory during probation.
9. Confirmation. (1) An officer or employee shall be confirmed in the service of the Bank if in the opinion of the Appointing Authority, the officer or employee has satisfactorily completed his probation.
(2) Where during the period of probation, including the period of extension of probation, if any, the Appointing Authority is of the opinion that the officer or employee, as the case may be, is not fit for confirmation in the said post,
(a) In the case of a directly appointed officer or employee, his services may be terminated after giving one month's notice or pay in lieu thereof;
(b) In the case of an employee, promotion from Group B to Scale I of Group A or from Group C to Group B , he may be reverted to the post from which he was promoted.
10. Termination of Service by Notice. (1) (a) No officer or employee shall leave or discontinue his service in the Bank without first giving notice in writing to the Appointing Authority of his intention to leave or discontinue his service or resign;
(b) The period of notice required shall be,
(i) three months, in the case of confirmed officer or confirmed employee,
(ii) one month, in the case of officer or employee who is on probation.
(c) In case of breach of clause (b) of sub-regulation (1), an officer or employee shall be liable to pay to the Bank as compensation a sum equal to his pay for the period of notice required of him.
(2) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in sub-regulation (1), an officer or employee against whom disciplinary proceeding is contemplated or pending shall not leave, discontinue or resign from his service in the Bank without the prior approval of the Appointing Authority and any notice of resignation given by such officer or employee before or during the disciplinary proceeding shall not take effect unless it is accepted by the Competent Authority.
Explanation. - For the purposes of this regulation, disciplinary proceeding shall be deemed to be contemplated or pending against an officer or employee if he has been placed under suspension or any notice has been issued to him to show cause why disciplinary proceeding should not be instituted against him until final order are passed by the Competent Authority.
11. Superannuation and Retirement. (1) An officer or employee shall retire on completion of 60 years of age:
Provided that the Chairman may, on recommendation by the Special Review Committee constituted under sub-regulation (3), retire an officer or employee at any time after completion of the 55 years of age or after the completion of 30 years of the total service in the Bank, whichever is earlier:
Provided further that no officer or employee shall be retired under this sub-regulation unless notice in writing has been served on him at least three months in case of an officer and one month in case of an employee in advance or an amount equivalent to three months pay in case of an officer and one month pay in case of an employee shall be given to such officer or employee in lieu thereof:
Provided also that if an officer or employee aggrieved by an order passed by the Chairman, he may within one month from the date of passing of such order, give in writing a representation to the Board against the decision of the Chairman and on receipt of such representation the Board shall take a decision within a period of three months,
(2) Where the Board decides that the order passed by the Chairman is not justified, the concerned officer or employee shall be reinstated as if the Chairman had not passed the order.
(3) The Chairman shall constitute a Special Review Committee consisting of not less than three members of the Board to review whether an officer or employee should be retired in accordance with the sub-regulation (1).
(4) The Special Review Committee shall, from time to time, review the case of each of the officer or employee and make recommendation to the Chairman.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation, the officer or employee,
(i) whose date of birth is first day of month retire on superannuation on the last day of the previous month on which he completes the age of superannuation;
(ii) who attains the age of superannuation on a day other than the first day during a calendar month,
shall retire on the last day of that month.
Chapter - III
RECORD OF SERVICE, SENIORITY, PROMOTION AND REVERSION
12. Record of Service. The Bank shall maintain the service record of an officer or employee, as the case may be, and shall keep at such place or places and in such form and shall contain such information as the Board may, from time to time, specify in this behalf.
13. Seniority. (1) Subject to the provisions of sub-regulations (3), (4) and (5) and such instructions and guidelines as may be issued by the Board from time to time, the Bank shall maintain separate seniority lists for each cadre of officer or employee and category-wise seniority lists within a cadre.
(2) The seniority lists shall be reviewed and updated at such intervals as may be decided by the Bank and circulated amongst the officers or employees, as the case may be.
(3) (a) The seniority of a promotee officer or employee in a cadre or scale shall be reckoned with reference to the date of his appointment in the cadre or scale;
(b) where there are two or more promotee officers or employees of the same length of service in that cadre or scale, their inter-se-seniority shall be reckoned with reference to their seniority in the immediately preceding cadre or scale;
(c) where there are two or more promotee officers or employees having the same length of service in such preceding cadre or scale the seniority shall be determined with reference to their seniority in the immediately preceding cadre or scale, as the case may be.
(4) The inter-se seniority of the erstwhile Field Officers or Accountants vis-a-vis the Branch Managers who were in the service of the Bank on the date on which the revised pay scales circulated by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs, Banking Division, New Delhi letter No F-2/17/79-RRB, dated the 29 April, 1980 are adopted by the Bank, may be so reckoned that all erstwhile Field Officers and/or Accountants rank junior to all the then existing Branch Managers:
Provided that the inter-se seniority of officers or employees amongst themselves within a cadre or scale as existing immediately prior to the Government letter No 11-3/90-RRB (1), dated 22 February, 1991 shall remain the same.
(5) The inter-se seniority of officers or employees directly recruited in a batch to any cadre or scale shall be reckoned with reference to the rank allotted to them at the time of their selection:
Provided that if officers or employees recruited under the general or reserved categories are allotted to the Bank the inter-se seniority amongst the candidates so allotted who joined on the same date shall be determined in accordance with the marks obtained by such candidates without adding notional marks for the reserved category.
14. Promotion. All promotions shall be made at the discretion of the Bank and no officer or employee shall claim as a matter of right to be promoted to any post or cadre:
Provided that promotion of officers or employees in the Bank shall be made in accordance with the rules framed by the Central Government in terms of section 29 of the Act.
15. Reversion. An officer or employee who has been appointed to officiate in a higher cadre or scale shall be liable to be reverted without notice at any time where he is so officiating.
Chapter - IV
CONDUCT, DISCIPLINE AND APPEALS
16. Scope of Service an Officer and Employee. Every officer or employee shall be a whole time officer or employee and shall be at the disposal of the Bank, and he shall serve the Bank in its business in such capacity and at such place as he may from time to time be directed by any person or persons under whose jurisdiction, superintendence or control he may for the time being be placed.
17. Duties of an Officer. Every officer shall perform such duties and actions as may be necessary in times of need to ensure the carrying out of the normal work of the Bank every day including securing access to the office premises or branch, documents and equipment and receipt handling, processing, movement and dispatch of documents and records and such other matters relating to the business of the Bank.
18. Liability to Abide by the Regulations and Orders. Every officer or employee shall conform to and abide by these regulations and shall also observe, comply with and obey all orders and directions which may, from time to time be given to him by any person or persons under whose jurisdiction, superintendence or control he may for the time being be posted.
19. Obligation to Maintain Secrecy. Every officer or employee shall maintain the strict secrecy regarding the Bank's affair and its constituents and shall not divulge directly or indirectly any information of a confidential nature either to a member of the public or to the Bank's staff, unless in compliance of the order passed by the judicial or quasi judicial authority or unless instructed to do so by a superior officer in writing in discharge of his duties and shall submit a declaration as specified in Schedule - II.
20. Obligation to Promote the Bank's Interest. Every officer or employee shall serve the Bank honestly and faithfully, and shall use his utmost endeavor to promote the interests of the Bank and shall show courtesy and attention in all transactions and dealings with officers of Government, the Bank's constituents and customers.
21. Contribution to Press, Radio, etc. (1) No officer or employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the Competent Authority, own wholly or in part or conduct or participate in the editing or management of any newspaper or any other periodical publication.
(2) No officer or employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the Competent Authority or except in the bonafide discharge of his duties, participate in radio broadcast, television or any other electronic media or contribute any article or write any letter either in his own name or anonymously or in the name of any other person to any news paper or periodical or make public, or publish or cause to be published or pass on to others any document, paper or information which may come into his possession in his official capacity.
(3) No officer or employee shall make any audio or video or photo recording of any official matter or publish or cause to publish any official matter without the prior permission of the Competent Authority.
(4) No officer or employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the Competent Authority, publish or cause to be published any book or any similar printed matter of which he is the author or not:
Provided that no sanction is required if such broadcast or contribution or publication is of purely literary, artistic, scientific, academic, cultural, educational or social character.
22. Officer or employee not to seek outside Employment or Business or to Promote Family Business. No officer or employee shall accept, solicit or seek any outside activity, employment or office whether stipendary or honourary without the previous sanction of the Competent Authority.
Provided that an officer or employee may, without such sanction, undertake the honorary work of a social or charitable nature or occasional work of a literary, artistic, scientific, professions, cultural, educational, religious or social character, subject to the conditions that his official duties do not thereby suffer:
Provided further that he shall not undertake or shall discontinue such work if so directed by the Competent Authority.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation,
(1) every officer or employee shall report to the Bank if any member of his family is engaged in a trade or business or owns or manages insurance agency or commission agency,
(2) canvassing by an officer or employee in support of the business of insurance agency or commission agency, owned or managed by a member of his family shall be deemed to be a breach of this regulation.
(3) no officer or employee shall without the previous sanction of the Bank except in the discharge of his official duties, take part in the registration, promotion or management of any bank or other company which is required to be registered under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) or any other law for the time being in force or any cooperative society for commercial purposes:
Provided that an officer or an employee may take part in registration, promotion or management of a cooperative society registered under the Cooperative Societies Act, 1912 (2 of 1912) or any other law for the time being in force or of a literary, scientific or charitable society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860) or any corresponding law for the time being in force,
(4) no officer or employee shall accept any fee for any work done by him for any public body or any private person without the sanction of the Competent Authority.
23. Officer or Employee not be Absent from duty without Permission or be late in Attendance. (1) An officer or employee shall not absent himself from his duties without having obtained the permission of the Competent Authority, nor shall be absent himself in case of sickness or accident without submitting a proper medical certificate from a medical practitioner acceptable to the Bank.
(2) An officer or employee, who absents himself from duty without leave or overstays his leave, shall not be entitled to draw any pay and allowances for the period of such absence or overstay, and shall be liable to such disciplinary measure as the Competent Authority may impose:
Provided that the Competent Authority may, if he is satisfied that the officer or employee has remained absent or over stayed, under the circumstances beyond his control, condone such absence or overstay and direct that such absence or overstay be regularized by admissible leave.
24. Absence from Station. No officer or employee shall remain absent himself from his headquarters overnight without obtaining previous sanction from,
(1) In case of the Branch Manager/Officer Incharge of the Branch, the Regional Manager or General Manager.
(2) In other cases, the Branch Manager/Officer Incharge of the Bank.
25. Prohibition to accept Gifts and Dowry. (1) No officer or employee shall solicit or accept or permit any member of his family or any other person acting on his behalf to accept any gift from a constituent of the Bank or from any officer or employee, subordinate to him.
(2) No officer or employee shall,
(a) give or take or abet the giving or taking of dowry,
or
(b) demand directly or indirectly from the parents or guardian of a bride or bridegroom, as the case may be, any dowry.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation, dowry has the same meaning as assigned in the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (28 of 1961).
26. Speculation in Stocks, Shares, etc. An officer or employee shall not speculate in stocks, shares, securities of any institution or commodities of any description:
Provided that nothing in this regulation shall be deemed to prohibit an officer or employee from making a bonafide investment of his own fund in such manner as he may wish.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation, frequent purchase or sale of stocks, shares or securities of any institution or commodities of any description shall be deemed to be speculation.
27. Restrictions on lending, Borrowings and Investments. (1) No officer or employee shall, in his individual capacity,
(i) borrow or permit any member of his family to borrow or otherwise place himself or a member of his family under a pecuniary obligation to a broker or a money lender or a subordinate officer or employee or any person, association of persons, firms, company or institution whether incorporated or not, having dealings with the Bank;
(ii) buy or sell stocks, shares or securities of any description without funds to meet the full cost in the case of a purchase of scrips or delivery in the case of a sale;
(iii) incur a debt at a race meeting;
(iv) lend money in private capacity to a constituent of the Bank or have personal dealing with such constituent in the purchase or sale of bills of exchange, Government paper or any other securities; and
(v) guarantee in private capacity the pecuniary obligations of another person or agree to indemnify in such capacity another person from loss except with the previous permission of the Competent Authority:
Provided that an officer or employee may give to, or accept from, a relative or personal friend a purely temporary loan of a small amount free of interest or operate a credit account with a bona fide tradesman or make an advance of pay to his private employee:
Provided further that an officer or employee may obtain a loan from a Cooperative Credit Society of which he is a member or stand as surety in respect of a loan taken by another member from a Cooperative Credit Society of which he is a member.
(2) An officer or employee shall manage his private affairs to avoid insolvency or habitual indebtedness.
(3) An officer or employee who is in debt shall furnish to the Competent Authority a signed statement of his position half yearly on the 30th June and 31st December and shall indicate in the statement the steps he is taking to rectify his position.
Explanation : For the purposes of this sub-regulation, an officer or employee shall deemed to be in debt;
(i) if his total liabilities, exclusive of those, which are fully secured, exceed his substantive pay for twelve months;
(ii) unable to liquidate his debts within a reasonable time if it appears, having regard to his personal resources and unavoidable current expenses, that he shall not cease to be in debt within a period of two years.
(4) An officer or employee who makes a false statement under this regulation or who fails to submit the prescribed statement or appears unable to liquidate his debts within a reasonable time or applies for the protection of an insolvency court shall be liable for dismissal.
28. Movable, Immovable and Valuable Property. (1) Every officer on his first appointment shall submit a return of his assets and liabilities giving full particulars regarding
(a) the immovable property, inherited by him or owned or acquired by him or held by him on lease or mortgage either in his name or in the name of any member of his family;
(b) shares, debentures and cash including bank deposits inherited by him or similarly owned or acquired or held by him;
(c) other movable property inherited by him or similarly owned or acquired or held by him; and
(d) debts and other liabilities incurred by him directly or indirectly:
Provided that, in the case of an officer, who is already in the service of the Bank on the date of the commencement of these regulations shall submit a return within three months from the date of commencement of these regulations.
(2) Every officer shall submit a return of the immovable/movable property to the Bank as on 31st March of every year before 30th April of that year.
(3) No officer shall, except with the prior intimation to the Competent Authority, acquire or dispose of any immovable property by lease, mortgage, purchase, sale, gift or otherwise either in his own name or in the name of any dependent member of his family:
Provided that the previous sanction of the Competent Authority shall be obtained by the officer if any such transaction is,
(a) with a person having official dealings with the officer; or
(b) otherwise than through a regular or reputed dealer.
(4) Every officer shall report to the Competent Authority every transaction concerning movable property owned or held by him either in his name or in the name of any dependant member of his family if the value of such a property exceeds Rs. 25,000/-:
Provided that, the previous sanction of the Competent Authority shall be obtained, if such transaction is:
(a) with a person having official dealings with the officer; or
(b) otherwise than through a regular or reputed dealer.
(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in the forgoing sub-regulation, the Competent Authority may, at any time by general or special order, require an officer or employee to furnish, within a period as specified in that order, a full and complete statement of such movable or immovable property held or acquired by him or on his behalf or in the name of any dependant member of his family as may be specified in that order, and such statement, if so required by the Bank, include the details of the means by which or the sources from which such property was acquired.
29. Restrictions Regarding Marriage. (1) (i) No officer or employee shall enter into, or contract, a marriage with a person having a spouse living;
(ii) No officer or employee, having a spouse living shall enter into or contract a marriage with any person:
Provided that the Competent Authority may permit an officer or employee enter into or contract, any such marriage as referred to in clause (i) or clause (ii) if it is satisfied that,
(a) Such marriage is permissible under the personal law applicable to such officer or employee and the other party to the marriage; and
(b) there are other grounds for so doing.
(2) An officer or employee who has married, or marries a person other than Indian nationality shall forthwith intimate the fact to the Bank.
30. Officer or Employee Arrested for Debt or on a Criminal Charge. (1) An officer or employee who is arrested for debt or on a criminal charge or detained in pursuance of any process of law for the time being in force, may, if so directed by the Competent Authority, be treated as being or having been under suspension from the date of his arrest, and/or detention, as the case may be, upto such date or during such period as the Competent Authority may direct:
Provided that in respect of the period in regard to which he is so treated, he shall be paid subsistence allowance as specified in regulation 46.
(2) Any payment made to an officer or employee under sub-regulation (1) shall be subject to adjustment of his pay and allowances which shall be made according to the circumstances of the case and in the light of the decision as to whether such period is to be accounted for as a period of duty or leave:
Provided that full pay and allowances shall be admissible only if the officer or employee,
(i) is treated as on duty during such period; and
(ii) is acquitted of all charges or satisfies the Competent Authority, in case of his release from detention or his detention being set aside by the Competent Court, that he had not been guilty of improper conduct resulting in his detention.
(3) (a) An officer or employee shall be liable to dismissal or to any of the other penalties referred to in regulation 39 if he is committed to prison for debt or is convicted of an offence which in the opinion of the Competent Authority, either involves moral turpitude, or has a bearing on any of the affairs of the Bank or on the discharge by the officer or employee of his duties in the Bank, the opinion in this respect of the Competent Authority shall be conclusive and binding on the officer or employee;
(b) such dismissal or other penalty may be imposed as from the date of his committal to prison or conviction and nothing in regulation 39 shall apply to such imposition.
(4) Where an officer or employee has been dismissed in pursuance of sub-regulation (3) and the relative conviction is set aside by a higher court and the officer or employee is acquitted, he shall be reinstated in the service of the Bank.
(5) Where the absence of an officer or employee from duty is without leave or his overstay is due to his having been arrested for debt or on criminal charge or to his having been detained in pursuance of any law for the time being in force, the provisions of regulation 23 shall also apply and for the purpose of that regulation the officer or employee shall be treated as having absented himself without leave or as the case may be, overstayed otherwise than under circumstances beyond his control.
31. Prohibition against Participation in Politics and Contesting Elections. No officer or employee shall take part in politics or in any political demonstration or contest election as a member for any Legislative Body, Municipal Council, Zila Parishad, District Board or any other local body.
32. Prohibition against Joining certain Associations, Strikes, etc.. (1) No officer, who is not a workman within the meaning of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 shall,
(a) become or continue to be a member or office bearer of, or be otherwise directly or indirectly associated with any trade union of the employees of the Bank who are workmen within the meaning of the Act, or a federation of such trade unions;
(b) resort to or in any way abet, any form of strike or participate in any violent, unseemly or indecent demonstration in connection with any matter pertaining to his conditions of service or the conditions of service of any other employees of the Bank.
(2) In relation to an employee who officiates in a grade or post, which is not a grade or post of a workmen, this regulation shall also apply so long as such employee officiates in such higher grade or post.
(3) No employee shall join or continue to be a member of an association, the objects or activities of which are prejudicial to the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, defamation or incitement to offense.
33. Give evidence. (1) No officer or employee shall, except with the previous approval of the Competent Authority, give evidence in connection with any enquiry conducted by any person, committee or authority.
(2) Where any approval has been accorded under sub-regulation (1), no officer or employee giving such evidence shall criticize the policy or any action of the Government of India or State Government or the Bank.
34. Function in honour of officer or employee. (1) No officer or employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the Competent Authority, receive any complimentary or valedictory address or accept any testimonial or attend any meeting or entertainment held in his honour or in the honour of any other officer or employee:
Provided that nothing in this sub-regulation shall apply to,
(i) a farewell entertainment of a substantially private and informal character held in honour of the officer or employee or any other officer or employee on the occasion of his retirement or transfer or any person who has recently quit the service of the Bank; and
(ii) the acceptance of simple and inexpensive entertainment arranged by association of officers or employees.
(2) (a) No officer or employee shall either directly or indirectly exercise pressure or influence on any officer or employee to induce or compel him to subscribe towards any farewell entertainment;
(b) no officer or employee shall collect subscription for farewell entertainment from any intermediate or lower grade officer or employee for the entertainment of any officer or employee belonging to any higher grade.
35. Canvassing. No officer or employee shall bring or attempt to bring any political or other outside influence to bear upon any superior authority to further his interests in respect of matters pertaining to his service in the Bank.
36. Subscriptions. No officer or employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the Competent Authority, ask for, or accept, contributions or otherwise associate himself with the raising of any funds or other connections in cash or in kind from constituents or customers in pursuance of any objective whatsoever.
37. Consumption of intoxicating materials. An officer or employee shall,
(a) strictly abide by any law relating to intoxicating drinks, drugs or other materials in force in any area in which he may happen to be for the time being;
(b) not be under the influence of any intoxicating drinks, drugs or other materials during the course of his duty and shall also take due care that the performance of his duties at any time is not affected in any way by the influence of such drinks, drugs or materials;
(c) refrain from consuming any intoxicating drinks, drugs or other materials in a public place;
(d) not appear in a public place, in a state of intoxication.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation; public place , means any place or premises to which the public have or are permitted to have access, whether on payment or otherwise.
38. Sexual harassment. No officer or employee shall commit any act which amounts to sexual harassment of women at work place.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation, sexual harassment includes such unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, whether directly or otherwise, such as,
(a) physical contact and advances;
(b) demand or request for sexual favours;
(c) sexually coloured remarks;
(d) showing any pornography; or
(e) any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.
39. Penalties. Without prejudice to the foregoing regulations of this Chapter, an officer or employee who commits a breach of these regulations or who displays negligence, inefficiency or indolence or who commits acts detrimental to the interests of the Bank or in conflict with its instructions, or who commits a breach of discipline or is guilty of any other acts of misconduct, shall be liable for any one or more penalties as follows, namely,
1. Officers :
(a) Minor Penalties
(i) censure;
(ii) withholding or stoppage of increments of pay without cumulative effect;
(iii) withholding of promotion;
(iv) recovery from emoluments or such other amounts as may be due to him, of the whole or part or any pecuniary loss caused to the Bank by negligence or breach of orders;
(v) reduction to a lower stage in time scale of pay for a period not exceeding two years without cumulative effect;
(b) Major Penalties:
(i) save as provided in item (v) of clause (a) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 39, reduction to a lower stage in time scale of pay for a specified period with further directions as to whether or not the officer shall earn increments of pay during the period of such reduction and whether on expiry of such period the reduction shall or shall not have the effect of postponing the future increments of his pay;
(ii) reduction to a lower grade or post;
(iii) compulsory retirement;
(iv) removal from service which shall not be a disqualification for future employment;
(v) dismissal which shall ordinarily be a disqualification for future employment.
Explanation: For the purposes of this regulation, - the following shall not amount to be a penalty, namely,
(i) withholding of one or more increments of an officer on account of his failure to pass a departmental test or examination in accordance with the terms of appointment to the post which he holds;
(ii) stoppage of increment(s) of an officer at the efficiency bar in a time scale on the grounds of his unfitness to cross the bar;
(iii) not giving an officiating assignment or non-promotion of an officer to a higher grade of post for which he may be eligible for consideration but for which he is found unsuitable after consideration of his case;
(iv) reserving or postponing the promotion of an officer for reasons like completion of certain requirement for promotion or pendency of disciplinary proceedings;
(v) reversion to a lower grade or post of an officer officiating in a higher grade or post, on the ground that he is considered, after trial, to be unsuitable for such higher grade or post or on administrative grounds unconnected with his conduct;
(vi) reversion to the previous grade or post of an officer appointed on probation to another grade or post during or at the end of the period of probation, in accordance with the terms of his appointment or rules, or orders governing such probation;
(vii) reversion of an officer on deputation to his parent organization;
(viii) termination of service of an officer,
(a) appointed in a temporary capacity otherwise than under a contract or agreement on the expiration of the period for which he was appointed, or earlier in accordance with the terms of his appointment;
(b) appointed under a contract or agreement, in accordance with the terms of such contract or agreement; and
(c) as part of retrenchment:
Provided that no minor penalties as specified in items (i) to (v) of clause (a) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 39, shall be imposed by the Competent Authority unless the officer is given a notice in writing,
(i) informing him of the grounds on which it is proposed to impose the said penalties;
(ii) giving him a reasonable opportunity for making a statement of defence in writing within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt of notice, and statement of defence, if any, submitted by the Officer shall be taken into consideration and of being heard.
Provided further that no order in imposing any of the major penalities specified above, shall be made except by an order in writing signed by the Competent Authority and no such order shall be passed without the charge or charges being framed in writing and given to the officer and enquiry held so that he shall have reasonable opportunity to answer the charge or charges and defend himself.
Provided further that no enquiry shall be made, if,
(i) the misconduct in such cases even if proved, the Bank does not intend to impose the punishment of removal or dismissal; and
(ii) the Bank has issued a show cause notice to the officer advising him of the misconduct and the punishment for which he may be liable for such misconduct; and
(iii) the officer makes a voluntary admission of his guilt in his reply to the aforesaid show cause notice;