From: [email protected] To: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/code-of-conductno-phone-bright-clothes-water-or-sleep-for-bureaucrats-in-assembly/ According to a recent notification, they are also expected to sit through the session without resting one leg over the other or stretching their arms on the armrest. The upcoming Monsoon session of the Gujarat Assembly will see bureaucrats following a strict code of conduct that prohibits them from wearing bright-coloured clothes, drinking water, munching food or paan masala, using cellphones and dozing off, while sitting in the House. According to a recent notification, they are also expected to sit through the session without resting one leg over the other or stretching their arms on the armrest. Though similar in intent, the new notification is stricter than the one issued way back in 1996. The 1996 notification had a polite tone saying, “officers are requested…” and “it is being informed to all”. The one issued on March 18 this year, however, says “it has become necessary too draw attention and issue orders…”, and then goes on to warn that not following the order could be taken seriously. “It is to be hereby noted that the ramifications could be serious to the officer and the department concerned,” it says. The new rules were reportedly announced after officials were seen taking the House “casually”. “During the sixth session of the 13th Assembly (Budget session in February-March), the Speaker had taken note of certain unacceptable behaviour at officers’ gallery in the House,” said a top official from the legislative and parliamentary affairs department, adding, “There were instances where officers were seen using phones. Some even were seen resting in casual positions with hands stretched and resting one leg over the other. Such kind of behaviour is against the decorum of the House.” When contacted, Minister of State for Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Pradeepsinh Jadeja, however, said: “I am yet to go through the notification and its details.”
