Conduct & Disciplinary Rules – 50

 DEPARTMENTAL ENQUIRIES AND INVESTIGATIONS

13. Deficiency in the cash or stamp balance

If a supervising officer finds a deficiency in the cash or stamp balance of a Post Office or record office, the Postmaster or Treasurer or both in the case of Post Offices or the Record clerk in the case of Record offices should be called upon to produce the money or stamps, if the official or officials cannot do so and are unable to give satisfactory explanation, an inventory of the cash and stamps actually found should be drawn up and got signed by two independent witnesses and action should be taken as prescribed in the rules on the subject of criminal offences in Chapter-IV P & T Manual Vol. II.

(Rule - 217 P & T Manual Vol. V).

14. Deficiency in cash and stamp balance in the extra-departmental Sub or Branch Post Office

All extra-departmental Sub and Branch Postmasters, whether offices are provided with iron safes or not, are required to make their own arrangements for the safe custody of cash, valuables on their own responsibility.

In case of an extra departmental Sub or Branch Office, when a deficiency in cash and stamp balance is noticed by a Supervising Officer, time should be given to the extra departmental agent to send for the cash, stamps, etc. and no charge of fraud should be made against him, unless he is unable to produce the full balance shown by the accounts within the time required for going to and coming back from the place where the cash is kept for safe custody. If any unreasonable delay occurs, the Supervising Officer should make local enquiries and if he has good reason to suspect dishonesty, he should proceed in accordance with the instructions given in the above rule.

(Rule—217 Note Below 1 & 2 of P & T Manual Vol. V).

15.REQUISITION OF AUDITED DOCUMENTS BY THE DEPARTMENTAL OFFICERS

Inspectors of Post Offices and postmasters should not send application for the return of void MOs direct to Audit, but only through supdt of POs or 1st class postmaster concerned. Inspectors of post offices, Postmasters and SPMs in LSG may call for paid MOs or IPOs from the Audit office direct for purpose of enquiry or reference.

Inspectors of Post Offices and Postmasters are not authorized to call for discharged postal certificates or SB-7 in respect of withdrawals. It should be requisitioned through the Supdt. of post offices or 1st class Postmaster. (Rule 220/221 of P&T Man Vol-V)

16. FORGED, COUNTERFEIT AND DEFACED POSTAGE STAMPS, SILVER COINS AND CURRENCY NOTES:

If a previously used postage stamp, from which, however no attempt has been made to remove the marks of obliteration, is detected on an article already posted or if a 'service' stamp from which no attempt has been made to remove the letters denoting service is detected on a private article posted, the stamp should be ignored. In either case the article should be charged with the postage to which it thus becomes liable and should then be forwarded to destination with a remark on it stating the reasons for the charge a note of the occurrence being made in the error book in the case of post office or in the note book in the case of RMS sections and mail offices.   (R-387 Vol-II)

When any stamp of the kind referred to in the above para/rule is detected on a postal article passing through the post either in the office of posting or in the office of delivery or on a postal article, documents at a post office, the following action should be taken:

(1)     If detected in a post office situated at the head quarters of a district, the officer in charge of the office should detain the article and at once lay information before the District Magistrate under section 190(1) (c) of the Cr.P.C. as to the offence which has been committed and ask him to take steps to obtain possession of the article, documents under section 95 of the Cr.PC. If the Magistrate of the Dist. is away from the station, intimation may be given to any Magistrate in whose jurisdiction the offence is detected. It should be noted that the article is not to be delivered up to the Magistrate or to the Supdt of Police but merely information is to be given regarding it with a view to the issue of necessary order by the Magistrate. Pending the receipt of the orders applied for the article may be provisionally detained and full particulars of the case should be reported at once to the Head of the circle or to the Supdt. of POs to whom the office is immediately subordinate who will such steps as the circumstances may require.

(2)     If detected in a Post Office not situated at the headquarters of the district or in a Mail Office, the officer incharge of the office should send the article/documents together with a report of the circumstances of the case in a service registered cover to the officer in charge of the post office as the case may be situated at the headquarters of the district and at the same time forward a copy of the report to the Head of the Circle or to the Superintendent, to whom he is immediately subordinate.

(3)      If the article/document to which the suspicious stamp is affixed was handed in at a post office or mail office, the name and address of the person who presented it should be ascertained and he should be informed that it will be detained for enquiry. (R 390 Vol-II)

(4)     If a suspicious stamp is detected on any article or document received in a post office which is not the office of posting or destination but an intermediate office, or received in a section or a mail office, the article should be forwarded, enclosed in an envelop to the Postmaster of the office of the destination irrespective of whether either the detecting office or the office of destination is or is not situated at the headquarters of district. (R 391 Vol-11)