Chapter 29: The Islamia University Bahawalpur Rules for Writing of Annual

Confidential Reports-1995.
(Framed under Section 33(2) of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur Act-1975.)

l Applicability and Commencement:-

(i) These Rules shall apply to all whole-time employees of the University.
(ii) These rules shall come into force at once.

2. Definition:-

2. In these rules unless context otherwise requires:-

(i) Initiating/Reporting Officer, Countersigning Officer and final Countersigning Officer
also include teachers who have been authorized for writing of ACRs.
(ii) University employee includes a teacher and Officer other than the Chancellor/Pro-
Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor.
(iii) All other expressions will have the same meanings as assigned to them in The Islamia
University of Bahawalpur Act-1975 and the relevant Statutes.

3 When should a report be written:-

(i) The Annual Confidential Report shall relate to a calendar year. The initiating Officer shall
submit his report to the higher officer not later than 31st of January following the calendar
year for which the report is to be written. The higher officer shall give his remarks within two
weeks. In case the report is to be submitted to a third countersigning officer, it shall be sent to
that officer immediately and the reports should be completed in any case upto the end of
February each year. Time schedule should be strictly followed; so that the remarks of the
initiating officer and subsequent officers are based on the performance of the University
employees during the calendar year to which they relate. If the reports are not completed
according to time schedule, the subsequent events can consciously or sub-consciously,
contribute towards the formation of opinion in respect of the last year.
(ii) A teacher/Research Officer must submit the prescribed ACR form, after filling in its Par-I, to
the Chairman or the Senior Teacher Incharge/Head of the Department concerned (as the case
may be) upto 21st of January following the Calendar year for which the report is to be written;
failing which the concerned reporting officer shall himself fill in part-I of the ACR form in
such cases.

4 Responsibility of the Final Countersigning Officer:-

The final Countersigning Officer will be responsible for obtaining confidential reports for the
preceding calendar year within the month of February each year. In case the reports are not
completed by the initiating officers according to time schedule, the final countersigning officer
may take appropriate action against the concerned officers.

5 Minimum period for writing of Reports:-

(i) The minimum period during which a reporting officer is expected to form a judicious opinion
about the work of his subordinate for the purpose of writing a report on his work and conduct
has been prescribed as three months. The report recorded in respect of period less than the
prescribed minimum period should be ignored.
Explanation:-
The period spent on leave of any kind (except casual leave) shall not be included and the said
minimum period of three months will mean and include the actual period spent on duty in which
the work, performance and conduct of the University employee reported upon has been seen by
the Reporting Officer .
(ii) ACR of a University employee who remains under suspension will not be required to be
recorded. Instead a certificate indicating the reasons for not recording ACR will be placed in
his CR Dossier.
6. Acting when a Reporting Officer or a subordinate is transferred:

If the officer is transferred during the course of a calendar year, he should be required to write a
report, if his transfer occurs more than three months after the last report was due. Such reports
must be written before relinquishing charge. The report shall be sent to the higher officer when all
the reports for the year have been written. If a sub-ordinate is transferred during the course of a
calendar year and he has worked for more than three months under the Reporting Officer, then the
latter shall record his opinion
In case he is being transferred from the jurisdiction of the final authorized officer then the views of
the higher officer shall be obtained and forwarded to the Department/Office where a subordinate
has been transferred.

7. Action when a reporting Officer/Countersigning/ Final Countersigning Officer is retired:-

The Officers proceeding on retirement, whether voluntarily or on attaining the age of

superannuation should be asked to write/countersign reports of the officers and staff who have
worked under them for more than three months, before their retirement. If an officer proceeds on
retirement without writing/countersigning the reports and cannot be contacted or fails to oblige
despite repeated requests, the following procedure should be adopted.
1. The officer who should have countersigned, had the report been initiated by the retired officer
should initiate the report provided he has been worked of the University employees reported
upon; for a minimum period of three months. The next higher officer, if any, should
countersign it.
2. If the report has already been initiated but the countersigning officer has retired, the next
higher officer, if any, should countersign, provided he has personal knowledge of the work of
the University employee concerned.
3. If both the initiating and the countersigning officers have retired, the officer next higher than
both of them if any, should initiate and the next higher officer if any should countersign it. In
such cases both the initiating and countersigning officers must have personal knowledge of
the officer reported upon.
4. In case the report cannot be initiated at all, a suitable note to this effect be recorded in the CR.
Dossier. If the report has been initiated but cannot be countersigned, the reasons therefore, be
recorded in the relevant part of the Annual Confidential Report.
8. Special Report:-
If a University employee is placed under observation for any specific period, the special report
thereof recorded should be placed on the Character Roll.
9. Reporting Channel:-
(1) Teaching Departments.

(i) Subordinate academic and Chairman/Senior Teacher Incharge of

Non academic staff from Department shall initiate and final remarks
BS-1 to 16. shall be given by the Dean.

(ii) Lecturer, Assistant Professor, The teacher concerned shall fill in Part-1
Associate Professor Associate of the ACR form. Chairman or Senior
Professor and other Teacher Incharge (as the case may be)
Equivalent posts; shall initiate the report Dean will give his
comments and report the final remarks
shall be given by the Vice-Chancellor.
(iii) Professor The Dean shall initiate the report and final
remarks shall be given by the Vice-
Chancellor.
(iv) Dean of a Faculty; The report shall be written by the Vice-
Chancellor.
(2) Administrative Departments:
(i) Principal Officers and the The report shall be written by the Vice-
officers holding equivalent Chancellor.
posts;
(ii) Heads of Non-Teaching The report shall be written by the Vice-
Departments/Branches Chancellor. In this case, the Vice-
holding the posts in BS-18; Chancellor may authorize Chairman of the
relevant Committee or any Principal
Officer to initiate the report and final
remarks shall be given by the Vice-
Chancellor.
(iii) ‘A’ Class employees in BS- Principal Officer concerned or immediate
18 or equivalent (other than Officer next above the employee, as the
those mentioned at (ii) case may be, shall initiate the report. Final
above); remarks shall be given by the Vice-
Chancellor.
*(iv) ‘A’ Class employee in Immediate Officer next above the
BS-16 and 17 or equivalent. employee concerned shall initiate the
report, which will be submitted (through
proper Channel) to the Principal Officer to
the Chairman of the relevant Committee/
any Officer authorized by the Vice-
Chancellor (as the case may be) who will
give final remarks.
(v) 'B' Class employees (In BS- Immediate Officer shall initiate the report
5 to 15); and submit it, (through proper channel) to
the Principal Officer concerned or
Chairman of the relevant Committee/any
officer authorized by the Vice-Chancellor
for final remarks.
(vi) 'C' Class employees (in BS-l Immediate Officer shall initiate the report
to 4); and submit it, (through proper channel) to
the Principal Officer concerned or
Chairman of the relevant Committee/any
officer authorized by the Vice-Chancellor
for final remarks.
*Amendment approved by the Syndicate at its meeting held on 04.05, April 1998.

(vii) It is, however, explained that while writing the Annual Confidential Reports, the
following principles should be kept in view:-
a) The report should be initiated by the Immediate Superior, Officer.
b) It should be countersigned by the next higher officer.
c) The final countersigning officer in the case of University officers in BS-18
and above and all the teachers shall be the Vice-Chancellor.
d) The report of the personal staff working under direct control of the Principal
Officers or Heads of Faculties/Branches/ Departments concerned should be
written and countersigned by them.
Note:- The record of ACRs will be maintained in the manner as notified by the
Registrar with the approval of the Vice-Chancellor .

10. Reports of Persons on Deputation:-

(i) The Annual Confidential reports will be written by the borrowing organization, on the forms
prescribed by parent Department/ Organization of the deputationist, according to the
Reporting Channels set out by such Department/ Organizations and forwarded to the lending
Department/ Organization.
(ii) The borrowing organization should communicate the adverse remarks to the concerned
employee and take further action thereon in accordance with the existing rules. The
borrowing organization should, however, keep the lending organization informed, of the
adverse remarks communicated to the employees concerned during the period of the
deputation and of the decision of Competent Authority/Officer to expunge such remarks.
11. Forms of Annual Confidential Reports:-

Forms of Annual Confidential Reports have been prescribed as in Appendixes A, B, C, D and E.

The Reports should be written on one of these forms according to the nature of the post held by
the University employee reported upon.

12. Instructions for Initiating Officers:-

(i) The Annual Confidential Report is an assessment of the conduct and quality of the work
performed by a University employee during the calendar year. On this assessment depend
important decisions such as promotion, move-over, scholarship or suitability for different
appointments; it is imperative that the report should be written impartially. It should be
forthright and unambiguous. The opinion expressed should be the result of careful
consideration; no personal bias, or favoritism should colour the report. The initiating Officer
should be in a position to justify his views, if called upon to do so. The work of the Initiating
Officer should also be assessed by the higher authority on the quality of his reporting.
(ii) The Report, if written in hand, should be legible. The name and designation
of the Initiating Officer should be clearly written in block letters under the signatures. The
date on which the report is signed should also be given.
(iii) The Confidential Reports which are not in accordance with the above
instructions should be returned by the higher authority to the Initiating Officer for revision in
compliance with these instructions.

13. Reporting by Relation:-

Whenever an Initiating Officer is related to the University employee reported upon, this fact
should invariably be mentioned in the confidential report and should submit ACR forms in blank
to the higher officer for writing of report, without recording his remarks.

14 Report on Integrity:-

The integrity is the most important trait of Character of a University employee. It should be
assessed without fear or favour. The report should not be vague but definite. The University
employee may be reasonably believed to be corrupt if;
a) he has a general and persistent reputation of being corrupt; or
b) any of his dependent or any other person through him or on his behalf is in possession of
pecuniary resources or property disproportionate to his own source of income or which he
cannot account for satisfactorily; or

Explanation:-

The dependants of the University employee will include his wife/wives and minor children,
residing with and wholly dependant upon him; and
c) He has assumed a style of living beyond his means.

15 Action when more than one Officer is eligible to record Report:-

In case a University employee has served under more than one Initiating Officer during the year, a
separate report shall be recorded by each officer; provided the condition about minimum period
prescribed for writing a report is fulfilled.

16. Action in case of Enquiry warning or Communication of Displeasure:-

(i) A formal displeasure, conveyed to a University employee must appear in his character Roll.
The result of re-presentation, if filed, should also be reflected in the report.
(ii) If a formal enquiry is ordered against a University employee during the year under report, the
fact must be mentioned in the report. Similarly final orders passed as a result of the enquiry
should also be placed in the confidential report.
(iii) A censure or any other punishment imposed on a University employee as a result of formal
enquiry under the Islamia University Bahawalpur employees (Efficiency and discipline)
Statutes 1976 should also be placed on the character Roll. Similarly, the result of an appeal
filed against the order imposing a penalty, if any, should also be reflected in the Report.
 (iv) A warning administered to a University employee should ordinarily not find its way into the
Confidential Report, as it is not a penalty in accordance with the Islamia University
Bahawalpur employees (Efficiency and Discipline) Statutes-1976 and as such is not
appealable. Where it is decided in any particular case to place it on the Character Roll of an
employee, he should be informed accordingly. In case of representation, if any, made by the
employee, the orders passed by the competent authority on such representation should also be
placed on the Character Roll.

17. Communication of adverse Remarks:-

(i) If the Confidential Report of a University employee contains any adverse remarks, whether
remediable or not, such remarks should be furnished to him at the earliest opportunity with a
confidential letter. It is essential that the University employees should be given a fair deal by
communicating to them the whole report containing the adverse remarks, so that they may
endeavor to remove the defects and improve their performance or be in a position to
represent, when necessary.
(ii) The timely communication of the report containing adverse remarks is of paramount
importance. The authorities designated to communicate the adverse remarks should,
therefore, ensure that the whole report containing adverse remarks is communicated to the
University employee concerned at the earliest opportunity and in any case within one month
from the date the report is countersigned and completed. A serious view should be taken of
any failure on the part of the officer/University employee concerned to furnish a copy of the
report containing adverse remarks to the University employee reported upon within the
stipulated period and disciplinary action should be taken against the person(s) responsible
therefore. In any case, the report containing adverse entries should be furnished to the
University employee at any time it comes to notice.
(iii) When a report consists of opinions of different departmental superiors in gradation, it is only
the opinion as accepted by the highest reporting officer which needs to be considered from
the point of view of communication.
(iv) If the highest officer does not comment on any remarks of a lower authority, it will be
presumed that he has accepted it.
(v) If the report containing the adverse remarks is not communicated or if communicated and
there is no record of its having been communicated or acknowledged' by the University
employee concerned, the adverse remarks contained therein should be ignored for purposes of
promotion, moveover, and premature retirement. But in the C.R. dossier of the person
responsible for failure or delay in communication of such a report, adverse entry should be
recorded, which would be in addition to the disciplinary action required to be taken under sub
para (ii) above which has to take its course.
(vi) The initiating officer should specifically state whether the defects reported have been already
brought in another connection to the notice of the University employee', concerned. The
effect of communication of adverse remarks should be carefully watched and the initiating
officer should, when drawing up report in the next year, state whether the employee reported
upon has or has not taken steps to remedy the defects to which his attention was drawn in the
previous year. Such remarks should also be communicated to the University employee
concerned; so that he may know that his efforts to improve have not passed un-noticed.
(vii) If a person integrity is adjudged as “Average" it shall not be constructed to be adverse
remarks and shall not be communicated
(viii) In case of retired University employee, communication of adverse remarks is not necessary
if the pension has been sanctioned. In case, however, the pension has not been sanctioned and
the remarks are of serious nature which pertain to integrity and are likely to result in reduction
in pension, then they should be communicated within the prescribed time limit and not
otherwise.
 18. Expunction of adverse Remarks:-

(i) A person who is communicated adverse remarks can apply for the expunction of such
remarks, not later than one month from the date of receipt of the communication. The
representation must be made in temperate and dignified language and no allegations of
personal and malicious nature should be made. Indiscreet and irresponsible allegations against
Reporting Officers will result in disciplinary action.
(ii) All representations about expunction of adverse remarks will be made through proper channel
to the competent authority.
(iii) A University employee adversely reported upon will have only one right of making a
representation and absolute finality would attach to the decision taken thereon, whether in
favour of the University employee concerned or against. The decision on representation for
expunction of . adverse remarks should be taken within 90 days of the making of
representation. The orders of the expunging authority/officer will not be subject to review by
the successor/authority/officer.
(iv) All representations about expunction of adverse remarks will be made through proper channel
to the competent authority/officer.
*(v) In case the employee reported upon is a teacher/research officer, he will make representation
against the adverse remarks to the Syndicate. However, the other employees in BS-1 to 15
shall make representation to the Vice-Chancellor, while the officers in BS-16 and above shall
make representation to the Syndicate.
(vi) The Competent Authority/Officer while expunging the adverse remarks, should give his own
assessment about the work and conduct of the representationist in the light of his own
information and overall previous record and subsequent to the entries being expunged.

19. Safe Custody:-

(i) Under no circumstances should any entry in a confidential report be mutilated or papers
physically removed from the file of confidential reports.
(ii) Except to the extent of communicating the remarks in accordance with the above Rules the
contents of the report should not be divulged to the University Employee concerned. In no
case should an employee have access to his own reports. In order to guard against the
confidential reports being tempered with the reports when filed in the Character Rolls will be
page numbered in ink and entered in the index in the form prescribed in Appendix-F.
(iii) The borrowing organization should under no circumstances change the order in which the
various confidential reports have been filed and indexed on the first page, or carry out any
other alteration in the Character Roll. However, such documents should be returned
immediately to the lending authority.

20. Maintenance of Character Rolls:-

One copy of the Character Rolls shall be maintained in organized form except where specified
otherwise. The original shall be maintained at a level where it is not required to be moved;
whereas the duplicate photo state copy may move, if and when it is so required for official purpose

21. General Instructions:-

(i) The letters of appreciation issued by a Committee or a Commission appointed by the

University, to the University employees serving with them and also attested copies of such
remarks or paragraphs concerning them as have been embodied in the reports of the
Committee/Commission may be placed in the Character Rolls of the employees concerned.
(ii) In case an employee has received Honour/Award, suitable entry should be made in the
Character Roll and a copy of citation be placed in it.
(iii) The order rewarding a University employee in connection with his suggestions found useful
and worth adopting may be placed in the personal file and not in the Character Roll of the
University employee concerned. The Initiating Officer should keep the fact in view and
mention the same while recording Annual Confidential Report. It is the duty of the office
concerned to bring it to the notice of Initiating Officer, for the calendar year, that the person
on whose work and conduct a report is to be written has been rewarded by the
Government/University for suggestions found useful and worth adopting.
*Amendment approved by the Syndicate at its meeting held on 29.30 August, 1998.
 (iv) No chits or certificates should be granted to the subordinates by any officer and the
assessment of the work of a University employee should be confined to the Annual
Confidential Report. Such chits/certificates, if still issued will be ignored by the University
for any purpose.
(v) Letters of commendations which may be issued to the University employees in recognition of
their meritorious work of commendable efficiency should be placed on the C.R dossiers of
the employees concerned and a copy should be endorsed to them.
(vi) The letters of appreciation earned by University employee from any officer due to their
outstanding devotion and zeal in National cause, should be placed in their Character Rolls.
(vii) The Initiating Officer may, if he likes, maintain a Katcha Register for keeping rough notes
relating to the work of the subordinates including cases of outstanding Good or Poor work.
This will avoid writing of reports based on vague impression and will make the reports more
realistic in Character and it will be easier to assess the performance of the subordinates from
such memoranda and thus present a true picture, in the report. This register will not be
permanent record but will be destroyed as soon as it has out level its utility
(viii) The reports of Teachers and other employees detailed for training at various
Institutions, e.g. Administrative Staff College, N.I.P.A. National Academy of Higher
Education, etc., will be placed on the Character Rolls of the teachers/employees concerned.
Similarly, the assessment reports on the teachers/officers attending training courses abroad
shall also form part of their Character Rolls.
(ix) If a University employee fails to complete successfully any prescribed test or examination or
training during the period of probation each such failure shall be recorded in confidential
report.
(x) A note may be recorded in respect of the periods for which reports do not exist in the
Character Rolls due to long leave or other causes which should be stated in proper sequence
of the filling of the reports.

22. Preservation of Character Rolls:-

(i) The Character Rolls of retired University employees should be maintained for ten years after
retirement or upto the age of sixty five years whichever is later. In the case of persons
relieved from University service otherwise than by retirement, the Character Rolls shall be
retained at least for ten years, after the date of release from University service. On the expiry
of the prescribed period the Character Rolls will be destroyed by burning.
(ii) Supply of copies of extracts from Character Rolls is prohibited. It is, however, permissible
that the final authority may give to the University employees who have retired, a letter in
which their confidential record is summed upto give an overall picture of their work and
conduct during service.
(iii) In case of any difficulty in the application or interpretation of these Rules, the matter may be
referred to the Syndicate whose decision shall be final.