Consolidated Guidelines on Official Dealings between the Administration and
Members of Parliament and State Legislatures – Observance of Proper Procedure
F. No. 11013/16/2025-PP.A-III
Government of India, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training, Kartavya Bhawan-3, New Delhi
Dated: 12th January, 2026
1. Background
Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of State Legislatures (MLAs/MLCs), as accredited representatives of the people, occupy a very important place in India’s democratic set–up. In connection with their duties, they often seek information from Ministries/Departments of the Government of India or State Governments, make suggestions for consideration, or request interviews with officers.
Consolidated guidelines on observance of proper procedure in official dealings between the Administration and Members of Parliament and State Legislatures were earlier issued vide OM No. 1667559842019 dated 13.09.2022 to all Ministries/Departments and Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs, with a request to circulate the instructions up to State/Division and District levels. These instructions and provisions of the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP) regarding prompt disposal of communications from MPs have been reiterated from time to time.
In continuation of these efforts, the Office Memorandum dated 12.01.2026 reiterates a comprehensive guideline by consolidating all previous instructions for strict compliance by all Ministries/Departments, State Governments and local administrations in letter and spirit.
2. Prompt Disposal of Letters Received from Members of Parliament
(i) Communications received from Members of Parliament should be attended to promptly.
(ii) Where a communication is addressed to a Minister, it should, as far as practicable, be replied to by the Minister himself. In other cases, a reply should normally be issued under the signature of an officer of the rank of Secretary only.
(iii) Where a communication is addressed to the head of an attached or subordinate office, Public Sector Undertakings, Financial Institutions (including nationalized banks), or Division/Branch‑in‑charge in a Ministry/Department/Organization, it should be replied to by the addressee himself. In routine matters, he may send an appropriate reply on his own. In policy matters, however, it should be ensured that the minimum level at which such replies are sent to Members of Parliament is that of Under Secretary and that also in a polite letter form only.
(iv) Normally, information sought by a Member should be supplied unless it is of such a nature that it would have been denied to him even if asked for on the floor of the House of Parliament.
(v) As far as possible, for correspondence with Members of Parliament, pre‑printed replies should be avoided.
(vi) In case a reference from an ex‑Member of Parliament is addressed to a Minister or Secretary, reply may be sent by the concerned Divisional Head after obtaining approval of the Secretary of the Ministry/Department. If the reference is addressed to a lower level officer, reply may be sent by the officer on his own in non‑policy cases and after obtaining approval of the higher authorities in policy cases. However, the minimum level at which such a reply could be sent should be that of an Under Secretary and that too in a polite letter form only.
(vii) Each communication received from a Member of Parliament, a member of the public, a recognized association or a public body will be acknowledged within 15 days, followed by a reply within the next 15 days of the acknowledgement being sent.
(viii) Where (a) delay is anticipated in sending a final reply; or (b) information has to be obtained from another Ministry or another office, an interim reply will be sent within 15 days (from the date of receipt) indicating the possible date by which a final reply can be given.
(ix) If any such communication is wrongly addressed to a department, it should be transferred promptly (within 5 working days of its receipt) to the appropriate Department under intimation to the party concerned.
(x) Where the request of a member of the public cannot be acceded to for any reason, reasons for not acceding to such a request should be given courteously.
(xi) As far as possible, requests from members of the public should be looked at from the user’s point of view and not solely from the point of view of what may be administratively convenient. (Para 8.8 and 8.9 of CSMOP, 2019)
3. Basic Principles for Government Servants while Interacting with MPs/MLAs
(A) Courteous Behaviour with Members of Parliament and State Legislatures
(i) Every member of the service shall, in the discharge of his duties, act in a courteous manner and shall not adopt dilatory tactics in his dealings with the public or otherwise. [Rule 3(2A) of All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968]
(ii) No Government servant shall (a) in the performance of his official duties, act in a discourteous manner; (b) in his official dealings with the public or otherwise adopt dilatory tactics or wilfully cause delays in disposal of the work assigned to him. [Rule 3A of CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964]
(iii) Government servants should show courtesy and consideration to Members of Parliament and State Legislatures. [Para 5(i) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A) dated 01.12.2011]
(iv) While Government servants should consider carefully or listen patiently to what the Members of Parliament and of the State Legislatures may have to say, they should always act according to their own best judgment and as per the rules. [Para 5(ii) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A) dated 01.12.2011]
(v) Any deviation from an appointment made with a Member of Parliament/State Legislature must be promptly explained to him to avoid any possible inconvenience. A fresh appointment should be fixed in consultation with him. [Para 5(iii) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(vi) An officer should be meticulously correct and courteous and rise to receive and see off a Member of Parliament/State Legislature visiting him. Arrangements may be made to receive MPs when, after taking prior appointment, they visit officers of the Government of India, State Government or local Government. Arrangements may also be made to permit entry of vehicles of the Members to these offices subject to security requirements/restrictions. [Para 5(iv) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(vii) Officers should not ignore telephonic messages left for them by MPs/MLAs in their absence and should try to contact the concerned Member at the earliest. These instructions also cover SMS and e‑mails received on official mobile telephones, which should be replied to promptly and on priority. [Para 5(xii) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(B) Public Functions or Meetings
(i) MPs of the area should invariably be invited to public functions organized by a Government office. Proper and comfortable seating arrangements at public functions and proper order of seating on the dais should be made for Members, keeping in view that they appear above officers of the rank of Secretaries to Government of India in the Warrant of Precedence. Invitation cards and media events for functions held in a constituency may include the names of Members of that constituency who have confirmed participation. If a constituency of any MP is spread over more than one district, the MP should invariably be invited to all functions held in any of the districts which are part of his/her constituency. [Para 5(v) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(ii) Where any meeting convened by the Government is to be attended by MPs, special care should be taken to see that notice is given to them in good time regarding date, time, venue, etc. It should be ensured that there is no slip in any matter of detail, however minor. In particular: (a) Intimations regarding public meetings/functions should be sent through speedier communication devices to MPs so that they reach them well in time; and (b) Receipt of intimation by the MP should be confirmed by the officer/official concerned. [Para 5(vi) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(C) Response to Communications from MPs/MLAs
(i) Letters from MPs and Members of State Legislatures must be promptly acknowledged and a reply sent at an appropriate level expeditiously as per the relevant provisions of CSMOP. [Para 5(vii) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A) and Para 8.9 of CSMOP, 2019]
(ii) Information or statistics relating to matters of local importance must be furnished to MPs and MLAs when asked for. The information should be specific and answer the points raised. A soft copy of the information should also be sent via e‑mail. [Para 5(viii) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(iii) If the information sought by an MP cannot be given and is to be refused, instructions from a higher authority should be taken and reasons for not furnishing the information should be given in the reply. [Para 5(ix) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(iv) Wherever any letter from an MP is in English and the reply is required to be given in Hindi under the Official Languages Act, 1963 and the rules framed thereunder, an English translation should also be sent along with the reply for the convenience of MPs from non‑Hindi speaking areas. [Para 5(x) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(v) References from Committees of Parliament must be attended to promptly. [Para 5(xi) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(vi) All Ministries/Departments should ensure that the powers of MPs/MLAs as Chairpersons/ Members of Committees under various Centrally Sponsored/Central Sector schemes are clearly and adequately defined. [Para 5(xiii) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
(D) Outside Political Influence
A Government servant should not approach MPs/MLAs for sponsoring his individual case, as bringing or attempting to bring political or non‑official or other outside influence is prohibited under the Conduct Rules, e.g. Rule 18 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and Rule 20 of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964. [Para 5(xiv) of OM No. 11013/4/2011‑Estt.(A)]
4. Recommendations of Parliamentary Committees
Various Parliamentary Committees such as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ethics, Rajya Sabha, and the Committee on Violation of Protocol Norms and Contemptuous Behaviour of Government Officers with Members of Lok Sabha have repeatedly emphasized strict compliance with these guidelines, viewing any violation seriously and recommending regular sensitization of civil servants at all levels.
5. Compliance and Consequences
All Ministries/Departments, State Governments and local administrations are required to ensure that the above basic principles and instructions are followed by all officials concerned, both in letter and spirit. Violation of the guidelines will be viewed seriously and any breach of the relevant Conduct Rules, once established after due enquiry, will render the concerned Government servant liable for appropriate disciplinary action as per applicable rules.
Note: List of all related Office Memoranda referred to in this OM and its Annexure may be accessed from the “Archive” section of DoPT’s website.
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