Being a part of any Government job structure, it’s utmost important for any employee to understand the exact criteria when he/she is remained on suspension from Govt service. The meaning of suspend is to debare, usually for a time, from the exercise of a function or a privilege especially to deprive temporarily of one’s office or again to interdict.
No Govt. servant should be placed under “Suspension” except when this is really necessary and that the following factors should guide an officer in deciding whether or not to issue orders of suspension: –
Criteria of Suspension
a). There must be a strong prima-facie cases against the delinquent;
b). If the offence is of such a serious nature that dismissal will be the probable punishment, or such that it is inadvisable that the offender should be allowed to continue to perform the duties on the case, suspension is justifiable;’
c). Unless there is some very strong reason why the offender should not be allowed to continue to work until the case has been decided, suspension should not be resorted to;
d). No one should be suspended for petty breaches of discipline and for minor departmental offence;
e). No one should be suspended unless:
i). He willfully and obstinately refuses to carry our an order;
ii). During the course of an inquiry his appointment would . hamper or frustrate such inquiry.
iii). He is in police custody.
iv). He is charged with an offence of a nature which; if proved against him result in his dismissal.
f). A government servant committed to prison either for debt or on a criminal charge should be considered as under suspension from the date of his arrest and until the termination of the proceedings against him, i.e. his suspension is automatic from the date of arrest till termination of proceedings against him.
g). A government servant against whom a criminal charge or I proceeding for arrest or debt is pending should also be placed under suspension when he is not actually detained in custody or imprisoned (e.g. whilst released on bail) if the charge made or proceedings taken against him is connected with his position as a Govt. servant or is likely to embarrass him on discharge of his dunes as such or involves moral turpitude.