Attention of the zonal Railways etc is invited to clause (ii) of Rule 36 of Railway Services (Pension) Rules, 1993 which provides for counting the period of extraordinary leave granted to a Railway servant for prosecuting higher scientific or technical studies towards qualifying service for pensionery benefits.
2. In terms of Rule 14 of the Study Leave Rules under Annexure V of IREC Vol. I, 1985 Edition, the study leave availed by those Railway servants who resign or retire from service or otherwise quit service without returning to duty after a period of study leave or within a period of three years after such return to duty or who fail to complete the course of study and are thus unable to furnish the certificate as required in sub-rule (5) of Rule 4 of the Study Leave Rules ibid, shall be converted into regular leave standing at his credit on the date on which the study leave commenced, any regular leave taken in continuation of study leave being suitably adjusted for the purpose and the balance of the period of study leave, if any, which cannot be so converted, treated as extraordinary leave.
3. One of the zonal Railways raised a doubt regarding counting such extraordinary leave as qualifying service for pensionery benefits. The matter has been examined in consultation with the Department of Personnel & Training and it is clarified that study leave granted to a Railway servant, who fails to comply with the conditions on which study leave was granted to him, is converted into regular leave standing in his credit and the balance of study leave, if any, which cannot be so converted, due to deficiency in the leave account of the Railway servant, is converted into extraordinary leave. Extraordinary leave thus sanctioned is due to the reason that the Railway servant has no other leave admissible to him and not for the purpose of pursuing studies as such. Hence clause (ii) of Rule 36 of Railway Services (Pension) Rules, 1993 is into applicable in such cases. In other words, such of the period of extraordinary leave shall not be counted as qualifying service for pensionery benefits.