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Casual Leave Rules for Odisha Government Employees
Official Guidelines · Notifications · Application Format
📅 Updated: June 20251. Applicability of Casual Leave Rules
These rules apply to all Government servants including work-charged employees, other than casual labourers, whose conditions of service the Governor of Odisha is competent to determine.
Key Point: Technically, a government servant on casual leave is not treated as absent from duty, and pay is not intermitted. However, both the officer granting the leave and the officer availing it will be held responsible if public service suffers in any way due to the absence.
2. Casual Leave Allocation — At a Glance
| Leave Type | Male Employees | Female Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Casual Leave (CL) per Calendar Year | 10 days | 10 days |
| Special Casual Leave (SCL) per Calendar Year | 5 days | 5 days |
| Additional Casual Leave per Calendar Year | Nil | 12 days Women Only Max 1 day/month · Not carried forward |
| Total Maximum | 15 days | 27 days |
Proportionate Rule: Employees joining mid-year are entitled to leave proportionate to their period of service. The sanctioning authority may, at their discretion, allow part or full casual leave even in the earlier part of service if other conditions are fulfilled.
Example: If a person is appointed on 1st July, they are eligible for only 7.5 days of casual leave (50% of 15 days) for that calendar year.
Example: If a person is appointed on 1st July, they are eligible for only 7.5 days of casual leave (50% of 15 days) for that calendar year.
3. Detailed Casual Leave Rules
3.1 Grant of Casual Leave — Conditions
- Not a right: Casual leave cannot be claimed as a matter of right. The authority competent to sanction it may not grant it when it is not actually necessary or when doing so would be against the interest of public service.
- Not a substitute: Casual leave should not be granted in cases where some other form of leave is more appropriate. It shall not be granted so as to cause evasion of rules regarding pay reckoning dates, charge of office, commencement/end of other leave, or return to duty.
- Maximum at a time: Casual leave or casual leave combined with special casual leave shall not be allowed for more than 10 days at a time.
3.2 Combining Casual Leave with Holidays
- Holidays not counted: Sundays or other authorised holidays when combined with casual leave or special casual leave shall not be counted for the purpose of reckoning the total amount of casual leave including special casual leave.
- Prefix / Suffix rule: When casual leave is availed by prefixing or suffixing government holidays, due care must be given to the total absence period. If the total continuous absence period (including govt holidays) exceeds 10 days, the entire period of absence shall be converted to earned leave or any other applicable type of leave.
3.3 No Vague Grounds
Casual leave shall not be granted on vague or general grounds. The purpose of the leave must be definitely mentioned in the application. No government servant shall be allowed to proceed on casual leave at short intervals.
4. Valid Reasons for Availing Casual Leave
Casual leave is not intended ordinarily for rest or change — for those purposes, other kinds of leave should be taken. It is specifically meant to meet genuine emergencies. The rules cite the following as valid examples:
| # | Valid Emergency / Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1 | Temporary indisposition (own illness) |
| 2 | Illness or death of near relatives |
| 3 | Performance of religious rites |
| 4 | Obtaining medical advice or assistance |
| 5 | Meeting, escorting, or seeing off wife or children at a port or distant railway station |
| 6 | Adjustment of urgent family or business affairs |
Note: These are illustrative examples, not an exhaustive list. The key test is whether the circumstance constitutes a genuine, unforeseen emergency that cannot be deferred.
5. Additional Casual Leave for Women Government Employees
Female state government employees in Odisha are entitled to 12 additional casual leaves per calendar year, over and above the standard 10 CL and 5 SCL available to all employees.
- Only 1 day per month of additional casual leave can be availed.
- If the additional CL for a particular month is not availed, it will not carry forward to subsequent months.
- The total maximum casual leave entitlement for women employees is therefore 27 days per year (10 CL + 5 SCL + 12 Additional CL).
Circular — 12 days Additional Casual Leave for Women
Previous Circular — Additional 10 Days for Women
6. Official Casual Leave Rules Notification
Below is the official notification from the GA&PG Department, Government of Odisha, containing the full text of Casual Leave Rules.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
How many casual leaves are allowed for Odisha government employees in a year?
Odisha government employees get 10 days of casual leave per calendar year. Additionally, up to 5 days of special casual leave may be granted in special circumstances, totalling 15 days. Women employees additionally get 12 more days.
Can casual leave be combined with Sundays and public holidays?
Yes. CL can be combined with Sundays and authorised holidays, but the total resulting absence period must not exceed 10 days. Sundays/holidays so combined are not counted towards the CL limit itself.
What if continuous absence (including holidays) exceeds 10 days?
The entire period of absence will be converted to earned leave or any other applicable type of leave. This is a strict rule — employees must plan their prefixing/suffixing of holidays carefully.
Is casual leave proportionate for employees who join mid-year?
Yes. For example, an employee who joins on 1st July is entitled to only 7.5 days of CL for that year.
How many additional casual leaves do women employees get?
Female Odisha government employees get 12 additional casual leaves per year, restricted to only 1 day per month. Unused days cannot be carried forward.
Is pay deducted during casual leave?
No. During casual leave, the employee is not treated as absent from duty and pay is not deducted. However, both the granting officer and the employee are responsible if public service suffers.