Safeguarding of official records & Government data and procedure for handing/taking over of charge on transfer of officials – Guidelines vide Office Order No. 61 of 2026
भारत सरकार / Government of India
रेल मंत्रालय / Ministry of Railways
(रेलवे बोर्ड / Railway Board)
Office Order No. 61 of 2026
Subject: Guidelines for safeguarding of official records & Government data and procedure for handing/taking over of charge on transfer of officials – reg.
In terms of the Public Records Act, 1993, the Railway Services (Conduct) Rules, 1966, the Railway Servants (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1968 and the Railway Board’s Manual of Office Procedure, 2022, all officials in Board’s Office are required to safeguard official records and Government data at all times and to hand over charge of their seat in a proper and complete manner on transfer, promotion or retirement. In this regard, the following guidelines are issued for strict compliance by all officials:
- Safeguarding of official records and data
- 1.1 No official record, physical or digital, shall be destroyed, deleted or removed from office custody on transfer, retirement or otherwise. Destruction/weeding of records shall be undertaken only by the officer authorised by the branch incharge strictly as per the procedure. Any contravention in this regard is punishable with imprisonment up to 5 years, fine up to Rs. 10,000/-, or both as per Sections 8 & 9 of Public Records Act, 1993.
- 1.2 Copying of official files, data, correspondence or backups onto personal pen drives, external hard disks, mobile phones, personal E-mail accounts or personal cloud storage is strictly prohibited.
- 1.3 Historical records and backups of any Branch/Section, irrespective of vintage, remain the property of the office at all times and cannot be treated as an individual official’s personal work product.
- 1.4 Physical files/documents shall not be destroyed or discarded by an individual official under any circumstances; any file proposed for weeding shall go through the prescribed weeding-out procedure with the approval of the Branch Officer.
- 1.5 No official computer, E-mail account, shared folder or digital resource shall be locked, encrypted or password-protected in a manner that denies access to the office or to the successor. Login credentials belong to the office, not the individual, being official information created in the course of duty. Passwords/login credentials shall be formally handed over to the relieving official/Branch Officer at the time of relieving.
- 1.6 Withholding a password from the office after relinquishment of charge shall be treated as wilful obstruction of official work & misconduct, and shall attract disciplinary action.
- Procedure for handing/ taking over of charge: Instructions w.r.t. procedure for handing over charge shall be followed scrupulously as detailed in para 2(i) of Office Order No. 76 of 2025. Where the successor is not yet identified, charge shall be handed over to Branch Officer, who shall hold the records and IT assets in safe custody pending arrival of the regular incumbent.
- Consequences of non-compliance: Unauthorised destruction/ removal of records, unauthorised copying of official data onto personal devices, or withholding of passwords/credentials from the office shall attract disciplinary proceedings under the Railway Servants (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1968, besides action, where warranted, under the Public Records Act, 1993 and other applicable rules.
These guidelines apply uniformly to all officials of Railway Board, irrespective of grade, in every case of transfer, posting, promotion, deputation, retirement, long leave, or other event resulting in relinquishment of a seat.
No. 2026/O&M/2/7
Dated: 13.08.2026
(T. Srinivas)
Joint Secretary/Railway Board
E-mail ID: t.srinivas1[@]gov.in
Tele No.: 011-47845551
All Officers and Branches in Board’s Office,
COFMOW Building and Dayabasti, New Delhi
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