Indian Railways Leave Rules: An Overview

Introduction to Leave Rules in Indian Railways

• Applies to all railway employees, irrespective of group (A, B, C, or D).
• Essential for daily work and departmental exams.
• Based on feedback and is crucial for railway employees.
• Described in Part 1 and Part 2 videos, with links in the description.

Railway Service Liberalized Leave Rules, 1949 (RSL LR)

• Also known as the Central Pay Commission Leave Rules 1949.
• Codified in the Indian Railway Establishment Code (IREC), Volume 1, Chapter 5.
• Applicable to:
  • Railway servants appointed on or after February 1, 1949.
  • Railway servants appointed before February 1, 1949, who opted to be governed by these rules.
  • Others brought under these rules by special orders.
• Now governs all railway employees.

Conditions for Applying Leave

• Leave cannot be claimed as a right.
• The sanctioning authority can grant or refuse it.
• The leave sanctioning authority cannot alter the kind of leave requested unless the railway servant makes a written request to change it within 30 days of resuming duty.
• Leave cannot be sanctioned for more than five years at a time.
• Employees are not permitted to undertake any employment during the leave period.

HRMS (Human Resource Management System) Implementation

• Railways are moving towards paperless working with the implementation of HRMS.
• HRMS provides a user ID and password for all railway employees.
• Leave types available in HRMS:
  • Casual Leave (CL)
  • Restricted Holiday (RH)
  • Leave on Average Pay (LAP)
  • Leave on Half Average Pay (LHAP)
  • Commuted Leave
  • Special Casual Leave (SCL)
  • Compensatory Off (COL)
  • Extra Ordinary Leave (EOL)
  • Paternity Leave
  • Maternity Leave
  • Leave Not Due
  • Illness Leave

Casual Leave (CL)

• Number of CL days in a calendar year (January 1 to December 31):
  • 8 days for employees who avail National Holidays (NH) or Gazetted Holidays (GH) completely.
  • 10 days for employees who do not avail or partially avail NH or GH due to the nature of their work.
  • 13 days for railway servants working in the North Frontier Railway due to geographical conditions.
  • An additional 4 days per year for disabled railway employees.
• CL cannot be combined with any other kind of leave.
• CL can be prefixed or suffixed to holidays and weekly rest days.
• There is no limit to the number of CL days that can be availed at a time.
• CL will lapse at the end of the calendar year.
• Employees appointed on any day of the year are eligible for CL based on their applicable category (8 or 10 days) before December 31.

Leave on Average Pay (LAP)

• Railway staff are entitled to 30 days of LAP in a calendar year.
• 15 days are credited in advance on January 1 and July 1.
• Railway school staff (teachers, principals) get 10 days per year (5 days each on January 1 and July 1).
• An employee can accumulate a maximum of 300 days of LAP during their service.
• LAP can be prefixed or suffixed to holidays; however, holidays, Sundays, and rest days falling within the LAP period will be counted as LAP days.
• LAP must be availed after prior sanction/approval.
• A maximum of 180 days of LAP can be sanctioned at a time.
• New railway employees are credited with 2.5 days per month (30 days/12 months) from their joining date until the next credit date (July 1 or January 1).
• If an employee avails Extra Ordinary Leave (EOL), Leave Without Pay (LWP), or is absent, LAP is deducted at a rate of 1 day for every 10 days of EOL/LWP/absence, up to a maximum of 15 days.

Leave on Half Average Pay (LHAP)

• 20 days in a calendar year: 10 days credited each on January 1 and July 1.
• New employees are credited 5/3 days per month from their joining date.
• No restriction for accumulation.
• Can be availed without mandatory production of a medical certificate and provides half payment.
• 1/18 deduction for EOL or LWP.
• Can be granted for 2 years in one spell.
• LHAP, along with LAP, can be considered for encashment of up to a maximum of 300 days at the time of retirement (full payment for LAP, half payment for LHAP).

Commuted Leave

• Granted upon production of a medical certificate, where LHAP is doubled.
• No limit to the number of commuted leaves in an entire service.
• For an approved course of study, 180 days are allowed in the entire service.
• When LHAP is commuted into full pay, twice the number of LHAP days will be deducted (e.g., if 10 days are taken, 20 days are deducted from the LHAP balance), and the employee receives full pay for the 10 days.
• In case of resignation or voluntary retirement without returning to duty, the entire period is treated as LHAP, and recovery of excess payment will be done.
• No recovery is done in case of death or invalidation.

EOL (Extra Ordinary Leave) or LWP (Leave Without Pay)

• EOL or LWP can be availed:
  • When no other leave is admissible (LAP/LHAP).
  • When the employee applies in writing, even if other leave is admissible.
• LAP deduction 1 per 10 days if other leave requested.
• Future increments and MACP affected is leave taken without permission.
• EOL is granted up to a maximum of five years.
• Railways servants who have completed 3 years can apply for 24 months of EOL for study.
• EOL isn't admissable if no credit and affects future increments.
• No Leave salary is admissable.

Leave to the Trade Act Apprentice 1961

• 12 days of CL are provided.
• 15 days of Medical Leave.
• The Apprentices do not get LAP.

Child Adoption Leave

• Child Adoption leave is granted to female adoptive mothers when the adopted child is less than one year old.
• 180 days as enforced in 2009, it was previously 180 days.
• Male railway servants has 15 days to adopt.
• It can be combined with any kinder of leave.
• It doesn't apply to leave acccount.

Leave Not Due

• If there is no LAP / LHAP balance then.
• Its sanctioned with the production of the medical certificate which is issued by the Railway Doctor.
• 360 days of Leave days can be sanctioned.
• Overdraft on LHP, it must be paid back after you resume your duties.

Maternity Leave

• 180 days for Married or unmarried women that have less than two children including Appretinces for Materinity leave.
• 45 days for Miscarrage or abortion.
• Has no restrictions concerning numbers of children.
• It can be granted up to 60 days, up to two years with Medical Cert.
• Not granted under any circumstances.

Paternity Leave

• 15 days, where a married or unmarried man has to children.
• this can be granted before 15 days, or within 6 months from Delivery.
• Does not debit against leave acccount.