The government has warned senior bureaucrats not to be casual in handling the disciplinary and vigilance proceedings against staff, making an excuse of delay in getting appropriate advice from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The erring officers against whom inquiry establishes irregularities escape penalty for many years just because the UPSC, whose advice is mandatory before taking action, often does not get all relevant papers and the file keeps going back and forth between the commission and the concerned department.

Pointing out that the UPSC cannot react if the case records and relevant documents are not provided, a circular warns that the concerned bureaucrat will now be issued a written warning to be more careful in future if the commission returns any incomplete proforma and documents.

"A second time default by the same officer shall invite minor penalty proceedings against him, says the circular issued by the Department of Personnel.

It requires the concerned bureaucrat to verify and certify that all the details as required in the proforma to be submitted to the UPSC. If the certificate has been issued in a slip-shod manner, the concerned joint secretary, director or deputy secretary of the concerned department/ministry will be held responsible, the notification adds.

The circular has been issued following a report of an experts committee, headed by former UPSC chairman P C Hota, that was set up to suggest measures to expedite the process involved in disciplinary and vigilance proceedings.

The committee came out with a shocking finding that the full details are not povided to the UPSC while seeking advice in as many as 40 percent cases of disciplinary proceedings.

To ensure prompt disposal of the disciplinary inquiries initiated by the departments and ministries, the committee recommended that the bureaucrat in charge should give a certificate in writing to UPSC that all details as required in the standard proforma are provided and should be hauled up if the certificate is found to be defective because of all items in the proforma have not been complied with.