The Bihar Cabinet has cleared changes to the Bihar Government Servant Conduct Rules to impose stricter control over how state employees use social media, after the government observed recurring instances of misuse.
Under the Bihar Public Servant Conduct (Amendment) Rules 2026, state employees and officers must now obtain prior approval from the designated authority before opening any social media account. The revised framework also forbids operating anonymous or fake-name accounts and disallows the use of official email addresses or government-issued mobile numbers for managing personal social media profiles.
Additional Chief Secretary B. Rajender from the General Administration Department said the decision followed multiple cases where public servants were found misusing platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram. He noted that the government treated these violations seriously and responded by issuing detailed and clearer regulations.
The updated rules clearly prohibit employees from uploading or sharing content that could be considered inappropriate or that might lower the dignity of their office or harm the government’s image. Public servants are also barred from posting personal views online about government policies, welfare schemes, or judicial directions issued by the Supreme Court of India or any High Court.
In addition, employees are not allowed to publicly support or criticise particular individuals, lawyers, media bodies, or political organisations through social media. The rules reinforce that confidential or sensitive government information must never be shared online and that officials cannot present government successes as their own personal achievements.
The amendment also introduces a total ban on creating workplace-related videos or reels and forbids livestreaming any official conversations or internal communications on social platforms.
According to Rajender, the purpose of these stricter norms is to promote discipline, accountability, and responsible online behaviour among government staff, ensuring their digital conduct matches the expectations of their official roles.
