Resigning from a Government Job: Can They Refuse to Accept My Resignation?

If I resign from a government job on personal grounds, can the employer reject my resignation letter, or are they bound to relieve me?

It depends on the nature and status of the government service to which you belong. If you are a State Services Officer, your appointing authority is the government. In the case of other services such as Subordinate Services and Ministerial Services, the appointing authority is the Head of the Department.

Normally, resignation in government service will be accepted when there are no disciplinary or criminal proceedings pending against the individual, or when the individual has completed the minimum service required after training, if any. Alternatively, the resignation may be accepted if the individual undertakes to pay the cost of training as previously fixed. However, there can be specific exceptions to this based on the policy of the respective government, particularly in cases where the service is deemed essential in the public interest. For example, the government of Tamil Nadu may not accept the resignation of Medical Officers before they reach the age of superannuation.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Thank you for your quick response and valuable advice. I am in the service of the West Bengal Government. Now, I have been selected for a new position in the Central Government. I wish to resign from the West Bengal Government. I have no disciplinary or criminal proceedings against me; I simply want to resign for personal reasons. However, my appointing authority is not cooperating. I am concerned that he may not release me or provide me with a relieving order. I am worried that he may not respond to my resignation letter and could potentially delay the process by withholding the relieving order.

You have not mentioned whether you applied for the new job through the proper channel. Since you mentioned that you want to resign on personal grounds, it implies that you didn't route your application through the proper channel. Had you done so, no appointing authority would hesitate to relieve you for reasons other than the ones mentioned in my previous reply. Now, you are caught between the deep sea and the devil—if you officially disclose the reason now, you may be in trouble for violating conduct rules. If your resignation is rejected forthwith, you will lose the new job. Therefore, handle the issue tactfully. If the appointing authority is personally known to you and can be taken into confidence, politely explain to them the circumstances in which you failed to observe the rule and appraise the better prospects you are going to lose. Request an early and peaceful relief.

Regards

Thank you for your suggestion. My AA is not so good. No, I have not applied through the proper channel. My AA has show caused me for disclosing the matter at a later stage. Now, my AA has not approved my post facto approval for NOC to join the new job. AA has not answered me; just keeps the file pending until now. AA is not a cooperative person.

I plan that after completing all proceedings of my new service like PVR and Medical, I will resign from my current position, citing personal reasons.

Furthermore, I am afraid that he (AA) will again keep my resignation letter pending, which will delay my joining the new service.

In government organizations, the normal rule on resignation is that no unwilling worker should be retained in service, and their resignation should be accepted without objection, except in the exigency of service. However, the employer still has the discretion to decline to accept your resignation. This typically occurs when the authorities are biased.

It is also important to note that if there is no response from the employer to an employee's resignation letter, it is considered to have been accepted automatically.