In a notification, the ministry said: "The Ministry of Defence has taken note of different instances where authorities/civil departments are approaching the services headquarters directly for seeking their input on various issues without proper consultation with the Defence Division."
"In this regard, it is pertinent to refer to rule B of the Rules of Business, 1973, which prescribes the procedure for consultation among Divisions, and Rule 56, which stipulates the channels of communication," it added.
"All correspondence with the headquarters of the Defence Forces, General Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Air Headquarters, or their subordinate formation shall normally be conducted through the Defence Division."
According to the order, the official may be exempted under special circumstances, such as 'the provisions of this sub-rule shall not affect normal communications between a service commander and civil authorities in her area of inter-department discussions in which service representatives are required to take part'.
"It is, therefore, requested that the spirit of the above rules may please be adhered to during correspondence with the Services Headquarters."