Ch. VIII · §25
Chapter VIII
Miscellaneous
Section
Chapter VIII · Miscellaneous
Section 25
Power to call for information and inspection of records and workplace
Transcribed from the official India Code source for reading and comparison. PIH plain-language guidance is editorial and separate; this page is not legal advice.
Plain Language
When satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest or in the interest of women employees at a workplace, the appropriate Government may by written order call for information from an employer or District Officer.
The same written-order power may authorise an officer to inspect records and the workplace in relation to sexual harassment and report within the specified period.
Employers and District Officers must cooperate and produce the required records when an inspection officer demands them.
Why It Matters
Documentation matters because the government can ask to see it. A paper-light compliance model is a real risk under this section.
Inspection power means compliance is not self-certified when the statutory public-interest or women-employees condition is met.
The provision supports evidence-based oversight, but it is exercised through the written-order mechanism and conditions in Section 25.
Practical Example
Scenario: The State Government receives a tip that several mid-size employers in a district have not constituted Internal Committees despite having more than ten workers.
Outcome: The appropriate Government may use the written-order mechanism to call for relevant information or authorise an inspection, subject to the statutory conditions in Section 25(1).
Scenario: An employer is asked in writing by the government to produce its IC constitution order, training records, annual reports, and inquiry files.
Outcome: The employer must comply. Failure to produce records can itself be a compliance failure that may attract consequences.
Who Must Act
government
- When the Section 25(1) condition is satisfied, call for written information from employers or District Officers by written order.
- Authorise an officer to inspect records and the workplace through the written-order mechanism.
- Receive the inspection report within the period specified in the written order.
employer
- Keep constitution orders, training records, annual reports, and inquiry files organised and retrievable.
- Produce required records and documents when an inspection officer demands them.
district officer
- Produce required records and documents when requested by the government or an inspection officer.
Compliance
Produce information, records and other documents in custody that bear on the subject matter of an inspection
Actor: Employer / District Officer · Rule: Section 25(2)
Respond to written information requests from the appropriate Government
Actor: Employer / District Officer · Rule: Section 25(1)
Common Mistakes
Treating record-keeping as a low priority — the government's inspection power makes documentation a compliance essential, not an administrative nicety.
Assuming a complaint is the only trigger — Section 25(1) uses a public-interest or women-employees condition, not a complaint-only condition.
Failing to maintain inquiry records after case closure — the inspection power covers historical records, not just active cases.
Source & Status
- Official source
- India Code, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India
- Source version
- India Code PDF — last updated 31 August 2021
- Source location
- India Code PDF, p. 12
- Retrieved
Statutory blocks are kept separate from PIH plain-language and operational guidance. The reading copy is not legal advice.
Legal review status: counsel-reviewed. All sections have valid documentary counsel evidence and publication signals are enabled.
Judicial material: no verified judicial interpretation is published in this reading copy. Judicial analysis is a separate layer from the statutory transcription and PIH editorial guidance.