Govt amends law to discipline public officials

The government has taken the initiative to amend the Government Service Act, 2018 to ensure accountability among public servants and establish discipline in the workplace.

The new amendment proposes that disobeying lawful orders of authority or collectively abstaining from duties after resignation will be considered “misconduct causing disruption in public service.”

For such offences, provisions for tougher punishment, including dismissal or compulsory retirement, have been included.

On Sunday, the bill titled “Government Service (Amendment) Act, 2026” was placed in Parliament by State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari, under the chairmanship of Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.

The bill was later passed by voice vote.

The proposed bill introduces a new section, “37A,” after Section 37 of the principal law. According to this section, a government employee will be deemed guilty of “misconduct causing disruption in public service” if they: disobey lawful orders of superior authorities or obstruct the implementation of government directives; remain absent from duty collectively without reasonable cause or refrain from work; or prevent other employees from performing their duties.

The bill proposes three main penalties for such misconduct: demotion to a lower designation or pay grade, (2) compulsory retirement, and (3) dismissal from service.

To maintain discipline, provisions have been included to ensure the quick completion of investigations under this law. According to the bill, the accused must respond within seven working days. If preliminary grounds exist, a three-member investigation committee must be formed within three working days. The committee must submit its report within 14 working days (extendable by an additional seven days if necessary).

If the investigation committee fails to submit the report within the stipulated timeframe, it will be considered as inefficiency on the part of its members. This information will be recorded in the Government Employees Management System (GEMS) PMIS and the dossier of the concerned officials, and departmental action may also be taken against them.

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A punished employee will be able to appeal within 30 working days. However, no appeal can be made against an order issued by the President; in such cases, only a review petition can be filed.

The statement of objectives and reasons of the bill states that the law has been introduced to ensure accountability, establish discipline and obedience, and prevent disorder among government employees. Through this, two ordinances issued in 2025 have been repealed and incorporated into a permanent legal framework.