Para 49 — CSMOP
Original Rule Text
49. Stage/procedure of recording - Files shall be recorded after action on the issues considered thereon has been completed. Recording of such files shall be governed by the provisions in the Record Retention Schedule (RRS) and that of NAI issued from time to time. Extract from the file, copies of important decisions, documents, etc. as are considered useful for future reference and add them to the standing guard file/standing note/precedent book/reference folder etc.;
What This Means
Para 49 describes the process of 'recording' a file — the formal act of closing it once all the action on it has been completed. Recording is not the same as destroying: it means the file is marked as closed and moved toward storage. The recording process must follow the Record Retention Schedule (RRS) issued by DARPG and the guidelines of the National Archives of India.
Before recording, the dealing hand or Section Officer should extract from the file any important decisions, significant documents, or pieces of information that would be useful for future reference. These extracts are then added to the Section's standing guard file, standing note, precedent book, or reference folder. This ensures that when the physical file is eventually stored or destroyed, the institutional knowledge embedded in it is not lost.
This is an important responsibility for Section Officers. Many Sections skip this extraction step and then find — years later — that no record exists of an important precedent because the file was destroyed. The rule requires a deliberate curatorial act before closing any significant file.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- 1Files should be recorded (closed and stored) only after all action is complete.
- 2Recording must follow the Record Retention Schedule and NAI instructions.
- 3Before recording, extract important decisions and documents for the Section's precedent book, standing note, or reference folder.
- 4The purpose of extraction is to preserve institutional memory even after the file is stored or destroyed.
- 5Section Officers are responsible for ensuring this extraction is done before files are handed to the Record Room.
- 6In e-Office, recordings are marked in the system and the relevant extracts can be saved as digital references.
Practical Example
A Section in the Ministry of Education closes a file dealing with a landmark policy decision on scholarship eligibility criteria after the final order is issued. The Section Officer reviews the file before recording it and identifies three paragraphs from the Joint Secretary's note that interpret an ambiguous provision in the scholarship rules — an interpretation that will guide future cases. The SO directs the ASO to copy these paragraphs into the Section's Precedent Book under the heading 'Scholarship Eligibility — Interpretation of Rule 7(b)'. The file is then formally recorded and sent to the Departmental Record Room with the appropriate category marking.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.