IREC Rule No.1668: Traveling Allowance For Journeys To Give Evidence In Departmental Inquiry

1668. Traveling Allowance For Journeys To Give Evidence In Departmental Inquiry:-

(1)   Every person, whether he is a Railway servant, Central or State Govt. servant or not, who is called to give evidence in a departmental inquiry by, either the Railway administration or the Railway servant against whom the inquiry is being held, shall be entitled to payment of traveling and other expenses as laid down below.

(2)   Where the witness is a railway servant, he shall be entitled to receive, in respect of the attendance before the authority holding the departmental inquiry from the department or office under which he is serving  for the time being, payment of traveling allowance  as on tour.

(3)   (i)   Where the railway servant is called in the departmental inquiry to give evidence as to facts which have come to his knowledge in the discharge of his public duties, the minimum time required to be spent by him on the journey to and from the place where the inquiry is held and the days on which he is required to remain present before the authority holding the inquiry, shall be treated as duty.

(ii)   Provided that if the Railway servant is on leave, the entire time spent shall be treated as a part of the leave and he shall not be deemed to have been recalled to duty.

(iii)   Where a railway servant is called by any authority holding the departmental inquiry to give evidence as to facts which have come to his knowledge at a time when he was not in railway service, he may be paid traveling allowance as provided in clause (2) above.

(4)   Where the witness is Central Govt. / State Govt. servant, he shall be entitled to receive, in respect of the attendance before the authority holding the departmental inquiry, from the Central / State Govt. such traveling allowance and / or daily allowance as may be admissible to him under the rules applicable to him in that behalf in respect of a journey undertaken on tour and the amount so paid shall be the liability of the Railway administration. The Central / State Govt. will, however, make the necessary payments and shall raise a debit in respect thereof against the Railway administration.

(5)   Where a person who has been a Railway servant but has ceased to be so, is called to give evidence as to facts which might or might not have come to his knowledge in the discharge of his duties, or a person who is not a servant of the Union, is called to give evidence before any authority holding a departmental enquiry, such a person shall be entitled to claim from the Ministry or Department or office under whom the railway servant against whom the inquiry is being held is for the time being serving, traveling allowance under Rule 1696.

(6)   The officer or the Board holding the inquiry shall furnish a certificate in the following Form to every person appearing before him or to give evidence.

 (7)   The foregoing instructions shall also apply to a person assisting the Railway servant against whom the inquiry is held in presenting his case. Such a person shall be granted a certificate in the following form by the authority holding the departmental inquiry.