Summary of leaves applicable as per Central Civil Service (Leave) Rules, 1972

A central Government Staff can avail different types of leave as per the requirement and eligibility as per the Central Civil Service (Leave) Rules, 1972 and Second Amendment Rules 2014. The following are the various kinds of Leave due and admissible are as follows. The leave sanctioning authority may refuse or revoke leave of any kind but cannot alter the kind of leave due and applied for.  Leave of one kind taken earlier may be converted into a leave of a different kind at a later date at the request of the employee while in service and at the discretion of the authority who sanctioned the leave.

Casual Leave (CL) :

Casual leave is provided to government employees for attending to emergencies or unforeseen tasks.
Central Government employee can take up to 8 Days of CL in a calendar year, 20 days for defence personnel of Officer Rank, 30 days for Defence Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) and 10 days for industrial workers. Railways staff are granted CL between 11 to 13 days in a calendar year.

Earned Leave (EL)/Leave on Average Pay (LAP):

30 days of earned leave is granted for a year to civilian employees. The number of earned leaves provided to defence personnel is 60 days. Earned leaves can be accumulated up to a maximum of 300 days. 

Half Pay Leave (HPL)/Leave on Half Average Pay (LHAP):

The employees are given 20 days of half pay leave for every year of service completed. This leave is credited in January (10 days)and July (10 days) every year.

Commuted Leave:

The half-pay leave can be converted into full pay on producing a medical certificate. The number of commuted leaves cannot exceed half the number of half-pay leaves due. Also, a medical certificate needs to be furnished for availing a commuted leave. 

Leave Not Due (LND):

This leave is granted to employees who do not have any half-pay leaves left and he/she requests specifically for Leave Not Due. A medical certificate is needed to avail this leave. The LND for the entire service is up to a maximum of 360 days. This will be debited against the half-pay leave that the employee earns.

Maternity Leave:

This leave is granted to female employees, up to 180 days during the pregnancy period. The leave can go up to 45 days during the entire service of the employee for cases of abortion or miscarriage. Maternity leave can be combined with any other leave without furnishing any medical certificate for up to 2 years. 

Paternity Leave:

This leave is granted to a male employee (with less than two surviving children) for a period of up to 15 days during the time his wife is recovering from a delivery. This leave is also granted to a government employee (with less than two surviving children) when he adopts a child below the age of 1 year. 

Hospital Leave:

This leave is granted to Railway employees (Group C) in case they suffer from injuries or illnesses directly linked to risks due to official duties. A medical certificate is required to avail the same. 100% salary is offered to the employee for the first 120 days and half-pay is given after that. This leave can be combined with other leaves the employee is eligible for. However, the total leave duration should not exceed 28 months.

Sick Leave:

This leave is granted to defence personnel who experience sickness due to service conditions. During the entire duration of hospitalisation, he/she will receive 100% pay. Beyond this limit, defence officers can receive sick leave with full pay and allowances for the initial 6 months. For the next 18-24 months, they will receive only the complete pay without any allowances. There are no such limits for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR).

Special Disability Leave:

This leave is provided to civilian employees when they are injured or disabled while on duty. The employee receives 100% pay for the first 120 days and 50% pay subsequently. This leave may be clubbed with any other type of leave that is admissible, provided that the total leave period does not exceed 24 months

Special Casual Leave (SCL):

Special Casual Leave is given to employees when they are absent from duty due to participation in sports events, Republic Day Parade, cultural activities, Trade Union meetings, voluntary blood donation, etc. During the time of SCL, the employee receives 100% pay. This can be sanctioned retrospectively as well.

Child Care Leave (CCL):

This leave is granted to a female employee for the purpose of caring for her minor child up to the age of 18 years. The leave duration is a maximum of 2 years, i.e., 730 days. During the CCL the employee will be eligible for 100% of the salary for the first year, and 80% of the salary for the second year.

Child Adoption Leave:

This leave is offered to a female employee when she adopts a child below the age of 1 year when she already has fewer than 2 surviving children. The leave duration is 180 days following the date of the adoption. The employee will be eligible for the salary equal to the salary drawn immediately before proceeding on leave. 

Study Leave:

Study Leave is granted to all government employees who have more than 5 years of service. The leave should be taken for pursuing further studies or undergoing a course that provides specialised training in the area of the individual’s duty as a civil servant. The maximum duration of the leave is 24 months for all employees, except for Central Health Service (CHS) officers who can avail 36 months of study leave. 

Furlough Leave:

This leave is offered to defence personnel only for up to 60 days. It can be taken once every three calendar years. The pay of the employee during this time would be reduced by half.

Extra Ordinary Leave (EOL):

This leave is granted to employees when no other leave is applicable and the employee specifically requests for the same in writing. This leave will not be reduced from the leave account. The employee is also not paid any leave salary when availing EOL.

The following points may be notes.

• Leave cannot be claimed as a matter of right.
• The leave sanctioning authority may refuse or revoke leave of any kind but cannot alter the kind of leave due and applied for.
• Earned leave should not be ordinarily denied during the last ten year of service.
• Leave of one kind taken earlier may be converted into a leave of a different kind at a later date at the request of the official and at the discretion of the authority who sanctioned the leave.
• Conversion of one kind of leave into a leave of a different kind is permissible only when applied for by the official while in service and not after quitting service.
• Leave sanctioning authority may commute retrospectively periods of absence without leave into Extra Ordinary Leave.
• No leave of any kind can be granted for a continuous period exceeding five years.