Govt imposes restrictions on employees approaching administrative tribunal with service-related complaints

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has imposed restrictions on state government employees approaching the Kerala Administrative Tribunal with service-related complaints. Now, complaints can be filed in the Tribunal only after six months of filing it with the concerned head of the department. This instruction regarding this is contained in the circular issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department on the June 24.

Employees approach the tribunal when they have grievances regarding actions such as transfer, suspension, withholding of promotion and show cause. The current practice is to approach the tribunal after submitting a written complaint to the department. According to the new circular, the tribunal can be approached only after a decision has been made on the complaint filed at the departmental level or after six months of the complaint.

In case of sudden transfer due to political reasons or other unjustified reasons, it can be questioned in the administrative tribunal. A complaint should be made to the head of the department when a new circular is implemented. There the complaint can be kept for up to six months. The circular also suggests that the administrative department secretaries or heads of departments should ensure that the guidelines are strictly followed.