Disclosures of Annual Confidential Reports (ACR) comes under Official Secret Act

[kushal]

What is contained in confidential reports is undoubtedly ‘personal information’ about that employee. The ACRs are protected from disclosure because arguably such disclosure seriously harm interpersonal relationship in a given organization. Further, the ACR notings represent an interaction based on trust and confidence between the officers involved in initiating, reviewing or accepting the ACRs. These officers could be seriously embarrassed and even compromised if their notings are made public. There are, thus, reasonable grounds to protect all such information through a proper classification under the Official Secrets Act.

Appeal No.128/ICPB/2006
In the matter of Right to Information Act, 2005 – Section 19.

[crusader]

It must have been vested interest in officers to get their information. Why on earth, in the first place would somebody ask for this information?

May it's democracy, as stingojournal said in one post

[milinduw]

I think the Annual Confidential Report should come under RTI. Employee will be protected against any kind of partiality while promoting the one amongst the lot.

[brijeshbhatt]

If our Officers do their Job honestly and efficiently, they will not need to know about their ACR.

[kushal]

Even though I personally feel that ACR should remain as Official Secret, but let's see how many vote for this as I may have a skewed opinion because of being in Government.
I have opened a voting for this thread.

[bombaygirl]

Hi,
I agree with Milinduw completely. Some transperancy is needed so that better officials are promoted not relatives of the current top officers. In fact at some level of crucial officers should be voted by the citizens of the city/town itself, like they have in Europe.

Dhara

[ganpat1956]

No doubt the ACR contains personal information of a sensitive nature about the employee and bringing out such matters under RTI is sure to cause a lot of embarassment to the person concerned.

But if objectivity and impartiality are lacking on the part of the officer who compiles such ACRs on persons who are working under him, what else is the remedy available to subordinates who are affected.

I do not think that this question can be merely settled through a simple process of voting "yes or no". This requires a careful analysis of the pros and cons.

[maneesh]

I agree with Ganpat,
The issue is not as simple as disclosing or retaining information.
The dimension of the move has manifold effect. One immediate is the number of litigation in Central Administrative Tribunal will increase.
I am all for a careful analysis of the issue before taking a call.

[NRUSINGH]

While details of notings on the ACR should not be disclosed as the same can cause embarassment to the Reporting or Reviewing officers, it should be open to a Govt servant to know what final evaluation has been given to him or her!

when one does not know what evaluation has been made in his ACR, how can a person try to improve his standards!

Moreover, he has the right to know as to whether he can expect to get his promotion in the DPC.

Hence, the final evaluation must be made public.

I have a feeling, many officers in the Govt departments may be knowing what remarks they have got! (though illegally)But, when one does not know about it, one has to spend sleepless nights -thinking if one will get promoted! if one can get the desired deputation! and so on..

[kushal]

As is the case, any adverse remark is invariably communicated to the concerned officials.

Some relevant post: http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/3159-post11.html

The Rule says any adverse grade or any adverse remark even with good grade need to be communicated to the officer concerned.

DoPT has dissolved any super session based on good ACR, and introduced the minimum benchmark for all to get promoted. Thus if one's ACR has 5 good and another has 5 outstanding, the level remains the same.

Further for example, a particular promotion requires a minimum grading of 'GOOD', and one officer gets 5 'Good', another gets 5 'outstanding', and the last one gets 1 Average and 4 'Outsanding'; the first 2 will both get promotion without break in seniority and the 3rd one will not get promotion.

But as you can see, the 'average' grading need to be communicated to officer concerned, it is but clear that he has ample time to represent and know his fault and correct and represent thereof.

However, I in one case, agree that is 'deputation', which is primarily driven by so to say .... "outstanding".

[neeraj Chauhan]

Hi evbody,
I cant understand why ACR should not be made public. Because it simply lists parameters and traits of an employee in respect of his job profile which in turn defines his efficiency and output. I see no point in keeping this info. And how can it be harmful to ones who are writing it. Rather discloslure would invite constructive criticism and ultimately good employee.
Nick Chauhan

[karira]

Nick,

The following thread will also be of interest to you:

http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/rti-ne...crs-apars.html

[jimmorrison]

If officers know whats in the ACRs, they will force the process of generating ACRs to be more transparent. Then perhaps ACRs will be termed Annual Performance Reports.

There does not exist any reason why the public who pays for the salaries of such officers be kept away from thier performance records.

[neeraj Chauhan]

HI evbody,
Well Karira and Jimmorrison just echoe my views on ACRs . I just dont agree with ones who say that disclsures of ACRs my affect interpersonal relations . Howzatt so. As in a Democratic setup as somebody rightly said Govt. Servants are nothing but public servants and public have every right to evaluate their job performance reports. Its only this confidential mania of ACRs that is making Govt. servants acting like masters of public rather than public servants.

[Abhinav Bohare]

I agree that ACRs should be made Public and I also disagree that ACRs should be made Public....

Officials are responsible to the Public so the ACRs should be made public...
Officials are responsible and Individuals too , therefore the ACRs should not be made public....

The confussion continues....

End of it I would opine...

ACRs should be made Public but without PUBLICITY after all we should remember that RTI does not means "that Public servants should be distrust and should be exposed" , in fact if we want to know any of the ACRs details they should be given only under scanner and shouldn't be manipulated for propoganda or publicity...

If the Public is human , Public servants are no devils

And above all

WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE...So our Govt, Politicians and Servants are nothing but our own reality.....

So if we are sooo positive or questionworthy for the public system , we should also be highly critical of the PUBLIC i.e. WE @ SELF.....Since we are equal part of the present conditions...good or bad...and we have made our own world, parlianment and system


Abhinav
....the right informed

[kushal]

The ACR in present form do not deserve to be in public domain. If it is severed with performance appraisal (Having details of the public action), with a clear distinction with the private appraisal (Such as Integrity, Health, Relation with Superiors, Obedience) the purpose would be served.

[Abhinav Bohare]

That is what I meant in a tricky way....

Moreover Sir, RTI Act shouldn't be a sword to cut the civil servants or other government officials , It should be used for protecting our own rights.

When we say ACRs it accounts for all the various details of the personnel.
Therefore ACRs details of confined nature can be made public under RTI but propoganda or swordish publicity is incorrect

Hope Members understand that RTI does in no synonyms means avenge

Abhinav

[narayanvarma]

So many have commented and i am totaly confused. may be some others also.Hence best thing for me is to keep quiet and u all sort it out. i have voted for non-disclosure before reading all comments. Even now my vote remains same.