44-year-old ban on govt staffers joining RSS lifted

The Centre confirmed that govt employees would no longer be penalised for associating themselves with RSS, ending a prohibition that has been in force since 1966 and which had not been done away with even by previous BJP govts.
A notification segregating RSS from organisations with whom govt employees are not supposed to be involved was issued on July 9, sources said. The order, which was flagged by Congress on Sunday to attack govt, may appear to give only a de jure status to the reality of RSS activists occupying senior positions in govt as members of the Union cabinet. But it is significant because of the timing as it comes amid a perception in many quarters about differences between Sangh and govt.
 
The first order, issued by the then Congress govt in 1966, had tagged RSS with Jamaat-e-Islami, stating that “govt have (sic) always held the activities of these two organisations to be of such a nature that participation in them by govt servants would attract the provisions of sub Rule 1 of Rule 5 of Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1964)”. The rule states that no govt servant shall be a member of or be associated with any political party or any organisation which takes part in politics, or shall take part in, subscribe in aid of or assist any political movement or activity.
Following a ban on RSS in the wake of the Emergency clamped by Indira Gandhi govt in 1975, DoPT issued yet another order mentioning the gazette notification dated July 3 and 4, 1975, banning RSS, Jamaat-e-Islami, Anand Marg and CPI (ML). The ban meant that any person who associates with such organisations could invite up to seven years in jail and/or fine. Relief for RSS and other organisations, however, came after the Indira govt was dislodged in 1977 by the Janata alliance. A DoPT clarification dated April 23, 1977, stated that consequent upon the lifting of the ban on RSS, Jamaat-e-Islami, Anand Marg and CPI (ML) etc, the Nov, 1975 OM referred to above relating to the aforesaid organizations may be treated as deleted.