No Retired Civil Servants Penalised for Hate Speech or Fake News Since June 2021: Rajya Sabha

Since June 2021, no retired IAS, IPS, or IFoS officers have been penalized for hate speech, communal statements, or fake news. The Rajya Sabha was informed that amendments were made to service rules, especially for those who worked in intelligence, to prevent the publication of sensitive information post-retirement.

No retired IAS, IPS, and IFoS officers have faced penalties for hate speech or spreading fake news since June 2021, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh highlighted in a written reply that the requested information on all India services officers should be treated as nil.

The response came to a query on the number of retired officials penalized or acted against for hate speech or fake news on social media since June 2021. Singh also discussed amendments to service rules concerning retired civil servants criticizing the government.

These amendments, made in the All India Services (Death cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, target those from intelligence organizations to regulate sensitive information that might affect national sovereignty and security.

A similar provision exists in the Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, for retired central government officers from intelligence or security-related organizations, the minister added.

(With inputs from agencies.)