The MHA directive applies to all Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers of the AGMUT cadre.

This has been communicated to the Chief Secretaries and administrative heads of all AGMUT cadre segments. It covers Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Goa, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep.

It has also been addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, given the presence of AGMUT cadre IPS officers within the Delhi Police.

The move is aimed at strengthening compliance with the provisions of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 [AIS (DCRB) Rules].

What Necessitated It

According to officials, the decision was prompted by instances in which pensionary benefits were released without a complete assessment of an officer’s vigilance background.

Such officers had served in multiple AGMUT segments during their careers. In several instances, the authority responsible for disbursing retirement benefits relied solely on local vigilance records available within its jurisdiction and proceeded without seeking confirmation from the MHA, which is their cadre-controlling authority.

Subsequent reviews revealed that disciplinary proceedings, vigilance inquiries, or criminal cases initiated in other AGMUT segments prior to an officer’s posting in the concerned jurisdiction had not been taken into account at the time of processing retirement benefits.

In some cases, the disbursing authority later maintained that it was unaware of such proceedings because the relevant information was not available in its local records.

To eliminate such gaps and ensure uniformity in the retirement clearance process, the MHA has now made prior vigilance verification by it mandatory in every case. The Ministry has clearly directed that pensionary benefits should neither be sanctioned nor released until this happens.

The communication further states that these instructions have been issued with the approval of the competent authority and are intended to prevent future lapses, enhance administrative accountability, and ensure strict adherence to the statutory framework governing retirement benefits for All India Services officers serving in the AGMUT cadre.