Government of India Leave Rules
As per the Government of India leave rules, casual leave (CL) cannot be prefixed or suffixed to earned leave (privilege leave), sick leave, leave without pay (extraordinary leave), maternity/paternity leave, etc. Casual leave is granted for a maximum of 8 days in a calendar year, and it lapses at the end of the calendar year. It generally cannot be carried forward. However, in some offices in remote places where casual leave cannot be granted for administrative reasons, the competent authority may accept the leave application, regret with due remarks, and allow the employee to take leave subsequently in the next year so that the employee does not lose much. However, such a practice has no legal sanctity and exists for administrative convenience in far-off offices, hospitals, schools, etc.
Earned Leave (EL) and Half-Pay Leave (HPL)
Earned leave can be accumulated up to 300 days. Beyond this limit, it lapses if not availed of within the next six months. Half-pay leave can be accumulated without any limit and lapses only on retirement or death if it exceeds the encashment limit. A government employee is entitled to encashment of a maximum of 300 EL or EL+HPL.
Combining Different Types of Leave
EL, HPL, HPL commuted to full pay leave, extraordinary leave, and maternity/paternity leave can be combined with each other. Special casual leave can also be combined with these leaves, but not with casual leave. Special casual leave can be combined with casual leave, provided it is not combined with other types of leave specified above.
Regards,
Shyam Agrawal