Conduct Rules

Application

The provisions contained in this Schedule shall apply to all employees of the Institute.

Definitions

In this Schedule unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Competent Authority" means

  • "The Board of Governors" in the case of the Vice-Chancellor.
  • "The Vice-Chancellor" in the case of all other employees.

(b) "Members of the Family" in relation to an employee includes

  • the spouse, child or step-child of such employees residing with and dependent on the employee, and
  • any other person related, whether by blood or by marriage to the employee or to such employee's wife or husband and wholly dependent on such employee, but does not include a wife or husband legally separated from the employee or child or step-child who is no longer in any way dependent upon him or her, or whose custody the employee has been deprived of by law.

(c) "Service" means service under the Institute.

 

General

  • Every employee shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty, and also be strictly honest and impartial in his official dealings.
  • An employee should at all times be courteous in his/her dealings with other members of the staff, students and members of the public.
  • Unless otherwise stated specifically in the terms of appointment, every employee is a whole time employee of the Institute, and may be called upon to perform such duties, as may be assigned to him/her by competent authority, beyond scheduled working hours and on closed holidays and Sundays and during vacations. These duties shall inter-alia include attendance at meetings of committees to which he may be appointed by the Institute.
  • An employee shall be required to observe the scheduled hours of work, during which he/she must be present at the place of his duty.
  • Except for valid reasons and/or unforeseen contingencies no employee shall be absent from duty without prior permission.
  • No employee shall leave station except with the previous permission of proper authority, even during leave or vacation.
  • Whenever leaving the station, an employee shall inform the Head of the Department to which he/she is attached, or Vice-Chancellor if he/she is himself/herself the Head of a Department, the address where he would be available during the period of his/her absence from station.

 

Taking part in Politics and Election

  • No employee shall take active part in politics in the campus of the Institute or exploit his official position for political ends or permit the use of Institute facilities for political purposes. In other cases where he stands for election he must take leave of absence from the Institute.
  • An employee may seek election to the local Municipal Board.

 

Vindication of acts and character of employees

No employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the competent authority, have recourse to any Court of Law or to the Press for the vindication of any official act which has been the subject matter of adverse criticism or an attack of defamatory character.

Provided nothing in this rule shall be deemed to prohibit an employee from vindicating his private character or any act done by him in his private capacity.

 

Representations

  • Whenever an employee wishes to put forth any claim or seeks redress of any grievance or of any wrong done to him/her, he must forward his case through proper channel, and shall not forward such advance copies of his/her application to any higher authority, unless the lower authority has rejected the claim, or refused relief, or the disposal of the matter is delayed by more than three months.
  • No employee shall be signatory to any joint representation addressed to the authorities for redress of any grievance or for any other matter.

 

Punishment, appeals etc.

An employee shall be governed by the provisions of the relevant rules regarding imposition of penalties for breach of any of these rules, and preference of appeals against any such action taken against him/her.

 

Criticism of the Institute

No employee shall, in any radio broadcast or in any document published anonymously or in his/her own name or in the name of any other person or in any communication to the Press or in any public utterance, make any statement of fact or opinion:-

  • which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any policy or action of the Institute; or
  • which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the Institute and the Central Government or any State Government or any other Institution or organisation or members of the public; or
  • which exploits name of the Institute or his/her position therein.

Provided that nothing in this paragraph shall apply to any statements made or views expressed by an employee in his/her official capacity or in the due performance of the duties assigned to him/her.

 

Evidence before Committee or any authority

  • Save as provided in sub-paragraph (iii) below, no employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the competent authority, give evidence in connection with any inquiry conducted by any person, committee or authority.
  • Where any sanction has been accorded under sub- paragraph (i) no employee giving such evidence shall criticise the policy or any action of the Institute or the Central Government or any State Government.
  • Nothing in this paragraph shall apply to
    • evidence given at any inquiry before any authority appointed by the Institute, by Parliament or by a State Legislature; or
    • evidence given in any judicial inquiry; or
    • evidence given at any departmental inquiry ordered by the Institute authorities.

 

Unauthorised communication of information

No employee shall, except in accordance with any general or special order of the competent authority or in the performance in good faith of the duties assigned to him/her, communicate, directly or indirectly, any official document or information to any person to whom he/she is not authorised to communicate such document or information.

 

Gifts

No employees shall, except with the previous sanction of the competent authority, accept or permit the spouse or any other member of his/her family to accept from any person any gift of more than trifling value. Interpretation of the term "Trifling Value" shall be the same as laid down in Central Government Servants Conduct Rules.

 

Private Trade or Employment

No employee shall, except with the previous permission of the competent authority, engage directly or indirectly, in any trade or business or undertake any employment outside his/her official assignments.

No member of academic staff shall offer private tuition in subjects offered by his/her own department.

 

Insolvency, Habitual Indebtedness and Criminal Proceedings

  • An employee shall so manage his private affairs as to avoid habitual indebtedness or insolvency. When an employee is found liable to arrest for debt or has recourse to insolvency or when it is found that a moiety of his/her salary is continuously being attached, he/she may be liable to dismissal. An employee, who becomes the subject of legal proceedings for insolvency shall forthwith report full facts to the Institute.
  • An employee who gets involved in some criminal proceedings shall immediately inform the competent authority through the Head of the Department to which he/she is attached, irrespective of the fact whether he has been released on bail or not.

An employee who is detained in police custody whether on criminal charge or otherwise for a period longer than 48 hours shall not join his duties in the Institute unless he/she has obtained written permission to that effect from the Vice-Chancellor of the Institute.

 

National Interest

No employee shall participate in any activity or act in a manner or communicate or make a statement, which is anti-secular or which tends to create communal disharmony.

 

Interpretation

The decision of the Board on all questions relating to the interpretation of these provisions shall be final.

 

Code of Conduct BITS Pilani- Awareness session

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