Section 7B. Powers of Inspectors.

(1) Subject to any rules made by the appropriate Government in this behalf, an Inspector may, for the purpose of ascertaining whether any of the provisions of this Act or the conditions, if any, of any exemption granted thereunder, have been complied with, exercise all or any of the following powers, namely:—

(a) require an employer to furnish such information as he may consider necessary;

(b) enter and inspect, at all reasonable hours, with such assistants (if any), being persons in the service of the Government or local or any public authority, as he thinks fit, any premises of or place in any factory, mine, oilfield, plantation, port, railway company, shop or other establishment to which this Act, applies, for the purpose of examining any register, record or notice or other document required to be kept or exhibited under this Act or the rules made thereunder, or otherwise kept or exhibited in relation to the employment of any person or the payment of gratuity to the employees, and require the production thereof for inspection;

(c) examine with respect to any matter relevant to any of the purposes aforesaid, the employer or any person whom he finds in such premises or place and who, he has reasonable cause to believe, is an employee employed therein;

(d) make copies of, or take extracts from, any register, record, notice or other document, as he may consider relevant, and where he has reason to believe that any offence under this Act has been committed by an employer, search and seize with such assistance as he may think fit, such register, record, notice or other document as he may consider relevant in respect of that offence;

(e) exercise such other powers as may be prescribed.

(2) Any person required to produce any register, record, notice or other document or to give any information by an Inspector under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be legally bound to do so within the meaning of sections 175 and 176 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

(3) The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) shall so far as may be, apply to any search or seizure under this section as they apply to any search or seizure made under the authority of a warrant issued under section 94 of that Code.]

View Act Footnotes

Note: In the legacy archives, footnotes are grouped by original PDF page numbers rather than by section.

Page 2

1. Ins. by Act 26 of 1984, s. 2 (w.e.f. 18-5-1984).
2.16th September, 1972, vide notification No. S.O. 601(E), dated 16th September, 1972, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, PartII, sec. 3(ii).
3. Subs. by Act 26 of 1984, s. 3, for clause (c) and the Explanations (w.e.f. 18-5-1984).*. Vide notification No. S.O. 3912(E), dated 30th October, 2019, this Act is made applicable to the Union territory of Jammu andKashmir and the Union territory of Ladakh.

Page 3

1. Subs. by Act 47 of 2009, s. 2, for clause (e) (w.e.f. 3-4-1997).
2. Subs. by Act 22 of 1987, s. 2, for “and the widow” (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
3. The proviso omitted by s. 2, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
4. Subs. by Act 12 of 2018, s. 2, for clause (k) (w.e.f. 29-3-2018).

Page 4

1. Subs. by Act 25 of 1984, s. 2, for clause (r) (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
2. Ins. by Act 26 of 1984, s. 4 (w.e.f. 18-5-1984).
3. The words “imposing a punishment or penalty or” omitted by Act 22 of 1987, s. 3 (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).

Page 5

1. Explanation inserted by Act 22 of 1987, s. 3 (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
2. Subs. by Act 12 of 2018, s. 3, for “twelve weeks” (w.e.f. 29-3-2018).
3. Subs. by Act 22 of 1987, s. 4, for the second proviso (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).

Page 6

1. Subs. by Act 25 of 1984, s. 3, for “an employee employed in a seasonal establishment” (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
2. Explanation inserted by Act 22 of 1987, s. 4 (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
3. Subs. by Act 15 of 2010, s. 2, for “three lakhs and fifty thousand rupees” (w.e.f 24-5-2010).
4. Subs. by Act 12 of 2018, s. 4, for “ten lakh rupees” (w.e.f. 29-3-2018).
5. Subs. by Act 25 of 1984, s. 3, for “shall be wholly forfeited” (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
6. Sub-section (7) omitted by Act 34 of 1994, s. 3 (w.e.f 24-5-1994).
7. Ins. by Act 22 of 1987, s. 5 (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).

Page 7

1. Section 5 renumbered as sub-section (1) thereof by Act 26 of 1984, s. 5 (w.e.f. 18-5-1984).
2. Ins. by s. 5, ibid. (w.e.f. 18-5-1984).
3. Ins. by Act 22 of 1987, s. 6 (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).

Page 8

1. Subs. by Act 22 of 1987, s. 7, for sub-section (3) (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
2. The Explanation omitted by Act 25 of 1984, s. 4 (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
3. Ins. by s. 4, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
4. Subs. by s. 4, ibid., for clause (c) (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
5. Clause (c) re-lettered as clause (d) thereof by s. 4, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
6. Clause (d) re-lettered as clause (e) thereof by s. 4, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).

Page 9

1. Subs. by Act 25 of 1984, s. 4, for “nominee” (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
2. The proviso ins. by s. 4, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).
3. Ins. by s. 5, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).

Page 10

1. Subs. by Act 22 of 1987, s. 8, for “at the rate of nine per cent. per annum” (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
2. The provisos inserted by s. 8, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
3. Subs. by s. 9, ibid., for “one thousand rupees” (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
4. Subs. by s. 9, ibid., for certain words (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).
5. Subs. by s. 9, ibid., for “three months” (w.e.f. 1-10-1987).

Page 11

1. Subs. by Act 34 of 1994, s. 4, for “Presidency Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class” (w.e.f. 24-5-1994).
2. Ins. by Act 25 of 1984, s. 6 (w.e.f. 1-7-1984).