J&K govt employees to face action if found violating social media guidelines

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[google-translator]

The government employees in Jammu and Kashmir can neither criticise nor discuss any government policy or action on social media or blogs, according to a set of guidelines issued by the UT administration on Friday. The government has asked deputy commissioners and heads of various departments to take disciplinary action against such employees.

The government employees in Jammu and Kashmir can neither criticise nor discuss any government policy or action on social media or blogs, according to a set of guidelines issued by the UT administration on Friday. (Getty Images)
The government employees in Jammu and Kashmir can neither criticise nor discuss any government policy or action on social media or blogs, according to a set of guidelines issued by the UT administration on Friday. (Getty Images)

The general administration department issued an elaborate set of guidelines regarding the use of social media by government employees while citing Jammu and Kashmir Employees Conduct Rules, 1971, the Information technology Act, 2000, the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Rules, 1956, and reasonable restrictions on the right to freedom of speech under Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India.

The circular by Sanjeev Verma, commissioner secretary to the government, read that it has been observed that government servants often engage themselves on social media platforms in a manner which is in contravention to these rules.

“While using different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or instant messaging applications like WhatsApp and Telegram, the employees have been seen to air disparaging views on subjects that they are expressly barred under rules to comment upon,” it said.

“No government employee will, through any post, tweet or otherwise, discuss or criticise on social media, any policy pursued or action taken by the government, nor will he/she, in any manner, participate in any such discussion or criticism on social media pages/communities/microblogs,” the circular said.

The employees have also been cautioned against ‘posting, tweeting or sharing content that is political or anti-secular and communal in nature or subscribe to pages, communities or Twitter handles and blogs of such nature’. Nor can they post grievances pertaining to their workplace on social media.

The circular has instead stated that the employee may “remove misapprehensions, correct misstatements, and refute disloyal and seditious propaganda, defend and explain to the public the policy of government in his posts and tweets on social media”.

“Violation of these guidelines/rules will tantamount to misconduct and invite disciplinary action against the delinquent official under the relevant rules,” it said.

“Further, in case of a violation committed on a group platform, the administrator, if they are serving government/semi-government employees, will also be liable for disciplinary proceedings,” the circular added.

It clarified that the above guidelines are not intended to “dissuade employees or departments from using social media for positive and constructive purposes”.

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