STUDY LEAVE 

Study leave may be granted to a railway servant with due regard to the exigencies of public service to enable him to undergo, in or out of India a special course of study consisting of higher studies or a technical subject having a direct and close connection with the sphere of his duty. Or for a course of training or study tour in which a railway servant may not attend a regular academic or semi-academic course if the course of training or the study tour is certified to be of definite advantage to Government from the point of view of public interest and is related to sphere of duties of the railway servant.

Study leave shall not be granted unless it is certified by the authority competent to grant leave the proposed course of study or training shall be of definite advantage from the point of view of public interest.

Study leave may be granted to a Railway servant: ---
(a) Who has satisfactorily completed period of probation and has rendered not less than five years regular continuous service including the period of probation;
(b) Who is not due to reach the age of superannuation from service within three years from the date on which he is expected to return to duty after the expire of leave;
(c) Who executes a bond as laid down in Study leave Rules-RI undertaking to serve the Government for a period of three years after the expiry of the leave. Accordingly, Railway Servant having option to retire will not be permitted to retire unless he serves the Govt. for three years after return from the Study Leave.

Maximum amount of study leave: -

(1) The maximum amount of study leave, which may be granted to a Railway servant, other than Railway Medical Service Officers, shall be -

• Ordinarily twelve months at any one time.
  
• During his entire service, twenty-four months in all (inclusive of similar kind of leave for study or training granted under any other rules)

(2) In respect of Railway Medical Service Officers, study leave may be granted for thirty six months for acquiring post graduate qualification, subject to the condition that a Railway Medical Service Officer who has been granted such study leave shall execute a bond under sub-rule (4) of rule 4 to serve the Railways for a period of five years after completion of the study course.

Accounting of study leave and combination with leave of other kinds. —

(a) Study leave shall not be debited against the leave account of the Railway servant.

(b) Study leave may be combined with other kinds of leave, but in no case shall be grant of this leave in combination with leave, other than extraordinary leave, involve a total absence of more than twenty eight months generally and thirty six months for the courses leading to Ph.D degree and P.G. Degree in medicine. (SC 161/1990, RBE 107 / 97 SC 194/97 & RBE 138/98 SC 175/98)