NASHIK, January 6: A Works Engineer (Electrical) with the the Currency Note Press (CNP), Shyam Bihari Rai, has been penalised for unauthorised absence, visit to a foreign country and production of a fake medical certificate to claim wages.The penalty is in the form of a reduction in salary to the minimum of his scale for five years. Rai, who was employed with the CNP since 1976, had taken 12 days off from December 19, 1989 onwards on the pretext of visiting his hometown. He went abroad on January 1, 1990, and returned four months later, in May.He then applied for 65 days' leave - from December 30, 1989, to March 14, 1990 - in addition to 72 days' commuted leave on August 17, 1990. He also submitted a medical certificate issued by a Varanasi doctor, dated May 15, 1990, which declared Rai to be undergoing medical treatment from February to March.On the basis of the certificate, he claimed Rs 4,942 towards his leave salary. In April 1993, Assistant Works Engineer (Electrical) K V Prasada Raocomplained to his superiors as well as the CBI about Rai's unauthorised absence and his visit abroad. In March 1995, an inquiry was initiated against Rai.The inquiry officer, in his report submitted nearly three-and-a-half years later, found that all the charges against Rai - unauthorisedly remaining absent from duty, claiming payment by furnishing a false medical certificate and visiting a foreign country without valid permission during the period of absence - had been proved beyond doubt. Rai was found guilty of contravening the Central Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964.General Manager (CNP and India Security Press) V K Jain, through an office order dated January 2, 1999, imposed the penalty, reducing Rai's pay to the minimum of the scale for five years. ``He will not earn increments of pay during the period of reduction and on expiry of the said period, the reduction will have the effect of postponing his future increments of pay,'' the order read.Rai was suspended on institution of the inquiry.However, six months later, during the suspension period, his salary was increased from 50 per cent of the normal to 75 per cent. On December 31, 1995 he joined the CNP workshop.The officer who brought the irregularities to the notice of the relevant authorities and the CBI, K V Prasada Rao, has meanwhile accused his superiors of victimising him. Rao, who joined the ISP in 1987 after serving in the Indian Air Force for 10 years, was chargesheeted in June 1991 for ``unauthorised communication''. He was dismissed from service on January 20, 1994, for making photocopies of documents to which he was not supposed to have access.He was reinstated by the Finance Ministry but penalised with stoppage of five increments with cumulative effect. He rejoined the India Security Press on February 24, 1995, and a year later was transferred to the CNP. He was again suspended on August 14, 1996, and reinstated on January 14, 1998.
