225. Date of Birth.—(1) Every person, on entering railway service, shall declare his date of birth which shall not differ from any declaration expressed or implied for any public purpose before entering railway service. In the case of literate staff, the date of birth shall be entered in the record of service in the railway servant’s own handwriting. In the case of the illiterate staff, the declared date of birth shall be recorded by a senior railway servant and witnessed by another railway servant.
(2)A person who is not able to declare his age should not be appointed to railway service.
(3) (a) When a person entering service is unable to give his date of birth but gives his age, he should be assumed to have completed the stated age on the date of attestation, e.g. if a person enters service on 1st January, 1980 and if on that date his age was stated to be 18, his date of birth should be taken as 1st January, 1962.
(b) When the year or year and month of birth are known but not the exact date, the 1st July or 16th of that month, respectively, shall be treated as the date of birth.
(4) The date of birth as recorded in accordance with these rules shall be held to be binding and no alteration of such date shall ordinarily be permitted subsequently.
It shall however, be open to the President in the case of a Group A & B railway servant, and a General Manager in the case of a Group C & D railway servant to cause the date of birth to be altered.
(i) Where in his opinion it had been falsely stated by the railway servant to obtain an advantage otherwise in admissible, provided that such alteration shall not result in the railway servant being retained in service longer than if the alteration had not been made, or
(ii) where, in the case of illiterate staff, the General Manager is satisfied that a clerical error has occurred, or
(iii) where a satisfactory explanation (which should not be entertained after completion of the probation period, or three years service, whichever is earlier) of the circumstances in which the wrong date came to be entered is furnished by the railway servant concerned, together with the statement of any previous attempts made to have the record amended.
Railway Ministry’s decision.—(a) When a candidate declares his date of birth he should produce documentary evidence such as a Matriculation certificate or a Municipal birth certificate, if he is not able to produce such an evidence he should be asked to produced any other authenticated documentary evidence to the satisfaction of the appointing authority,. Such authenticated documentary evidence could be the School Leaving Certificate, a Baptismal Certificate in original or some other reliable document. Horoscope should not be accepted as an evidence in support of the declaration of age.
(b) If he could not produce any authority in accordance with (a) above he should be asked to produce an affidavit in support of the declaration of age.
(c ) In the case of Group D employees care should be taken to see that the date of birth as declared on entering regular Group D service is not different from any declaration expressed or implied, given earlier at the time of employment as casual labourer or as a substitute.
Note.—The source/basis on which the date of birth has been recorded in the Service Records of the employee at the time of entering service may be recorded below the date of birth recorded.
(Authority:- Railway Board’s letter No.E(G)99 FR 1/1 dt. 7-12-99)
