Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Monday issued a notification lifting a 54-year-old ban on government employees from joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan, in a letter to all department heads, has nullified the implementation of Haryana Civil Services (Government Employees' Conduct) Rules, 2016 in regards to the prohibition for government employees in taking part in politics and elections or joining any association vide the notifications issued in 1967, 1970 and 1980 with immediate effect.
However, the letter further mentioned that employees shall not join or continue to be a member of associations, objectives and activities of which are prejudicial to the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India or public order or morality.
In 1967, the office of the chief secretary had issued a notification which held that the association of the government employees with the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami would attract disciplinary action under service rules.
The notification issued on January 11, 1967 to all the departments with reference to the Sub Rule (1) or Rule (5) of the Punjab Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 196, titled Association of Government employees with the activities of R.S.S./Jamaat-e-Islami", read that "it is clarified that the Government have always held the activities of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and the Jamaat-e-Islami to be of such a nature that participation in them by Government employees would attract the provisions of sub-rule (1) of Rule 5 of the Punjab Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1966. Any Government Employee who is a member of or is otherwise associated with, the aforesaid organisations or with their activities is thus liable to disciplinary action."
In absence of any formal instructions on the issue since then, it was being construed that the government employees cannot associate themselves with the RSS or Jamaat-e-Islami. Incidentally, the Centre had lifted the ban in 1975.