How many departmental cases filed against public servants in 10 yrs

A total of 868 departmental cases were filed against the government officials and employees in the last 10 years, reveals a report of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC).

Departmental case against the public servants means the steps taken by the respective department for breaching the rules. This does not mean filing of any lawsuit against the accused at any court.

As per the rules, if any departmental case is filed against any official or employee, the respective department seeks advice from the BPSC.

The BPSC’s latest report revealed that 123 such cases, the highest in number, were filed in 2016 while 114, the second highest, cases were filed last year.

An analysis of the BPSC’s advices showed the commission agreed in most of the cases while dissented in a very few occasions. BPSC dissented in nine cases, the highest in number, in 2014, for example. In 2021, the number of such cases was four while three each in 2015, 2016 and 2020.

“When a file is sent to the BPSC after filing of a departmental case, the commission scrutinises the accusation, the answer of the accused, testimonies of the witnesses, investigation report, show cause notice and answer to those and the relevant authority’s decision against the accused. Besides, the government servants (conduct) rules, 1979 are also consulted,” said a PSC official.

Speaking about the BPSC’s role in such cases, the commission’s director ABM Mahbub Hossain told Prothom Alo that as per the government servants (conduct) rules, the commission scrutinises whether filing the case was faultless, whether any deviation took place in the case, whether there is any recommendation, whether the recommendation to punitive action was appropriate and proportional and put forth its advice.

BPSC has different departments in the form of separate units with specific responsibilities, said a BPSC source.

Different units advise different ministries independently. In general, BPSC carries out such responsibilities neutrally.

The punitive actions in departmental cases are clearly stated. Promotion of an official or employee remains pending until the settlement of the departmental case.

* The report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza