TN Govt staff told to inform authority before publishing book

CHENNAI: Under the Tamil Nadu Government Servants' Conduct Rules (TNGSCR), the Department of School Education and the TN chief secretary have urged all government employees to intimate their respective authority instead of seeking prior permission before publishing books or engaging in literary or artistic work.

In the notification, the director of the Department of School Education has mentioned the circular from the Human Resource Management (HRM) Department, which cited the TNGSCR 1973.

The rule prescribes that every government employee shall obtain prior permission before publishing any book or engaging habitually in literary or artistic work of any kind and that the government employees' who write books on literature, short story, novel, drama, essay and poetry shall quickly report to the prescribed authority when he/she receives the remuneration from the publisher.

However, the recent notification from the government read that as part of the centenary celebration of the former CM M Karunanidhi, the government encourages employees to engage in writing.

“The government has decided to amend the TNGSCR 1973 to the mandate that a government employee may publish books on giving mere intimation to the competent authority, instead of obtaining prior permission,” read the notification.

Further, it added, “While doing so, he shall also submit a declaration to the effect that no criticism or attack against the State has been made in the book and the book does not contain any objectionable text/content affecting the law and order of the State. But, he/she shall get permission from the competent authority for receiving remuneration or royalty from the publisher.”

Following this, the director of school education has informed the same to heads of other sub-departments, joint directors, and chief education officers within the education department.

The amendments mentioned include; the government employee may publish books except work which relates to acts and policies of the government, the employee shall not use his/her time and official influence for promoting the sale of copies of the book and no government employee may accept the remuneration on royalty basis from the publishers without getting prior permission from their higher authority in all cases.

Speaking to DT Next, educationalist PB Prince Gajendra Babu said, “The recent alteration of TNGSCR is no different from the previous rule. Also, urging government employees to intimate their work before publishing is a violation of Article 19 of the Freedom of Speech and Expression. It also robs artists, be they even government employees, of their freedom to express themselves.”