The Centre has banned retired officials from the intelligence or security-related organisations from publishing any information about their former departments without clearance from the head of the organisation, ANI reported on Tuesday.
The retired officials will have to sign an undertaking that they will not publish information without clearance. Their pension could be withheld or withdrawn, fully or partially, if they do not comply with the government order. The government’s order is likely to affect retired officials who write columns for newspapers as well as books about their former organisations.
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions issued a notification on May 31 about the amendment to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972.
The retired officials cannot publish, without permission, any material related to the “domain of the organisation, including any reference about any personnel and his designation, and expertise or knowledge gained by virtue of working in that organisation”, the government said in the notification.
The former officials were also prohibited from publishing sensitive information, “the disclosure of which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, or relation with a foreign State or which would lead to incitement of an offence”, the notification added.
The government said that the head of an intelligence or security-related organisation will have the authority to decide whether the material proposed to be published is sensitive or not or whether it falls under the domain of the department.
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