Section 31: Certifying officers and appellate authority to have powers of civil court
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 31 — Governs certifying officers and appellate authority to have powers of civil court and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Every certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses,…
All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- (1) Every certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses, and compelling the discovery and production of documents, and shall be deemed to be a civil court within the meaning of sections 345 and 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.
Thresholds and timelines in the text
- No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this section text.
Actors expressly appearing in the text
Authority / officer
Full statutory text — Section 31
31. Certifying officer and appellate authority to have powers of civil court.—(1) Every
certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil
court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses,
and compelling the discovery and production of documents, and shall be deemed to be a civil court
within the meaning of sections 345 and 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).
(2) Clerical or arithmetical mistakes in any order passed by a certifying officer, or errors arising
therein from any accidental slip or omission may, at any time, be corrected by that officer or successor
in office of such officer.How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) Every certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses, and compelling the discovery and production of documents, and shall be deemed to be a civil court within the meaning of sections 345 and 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Authority / officer.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping
Forms mapped
No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.
Other sections cited in this text
Related Labour Hub resources
A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.
Worked example
Suppose an industrial establishment reaches a step governed by certifying officers and appellate authority to have powers of civil court. HR/IR should create a dated file showing coverage, the competent authority/union status, required notice or application, service proof and the result. One operative text point to test is: “(1) Every certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses, and compelling the discovery and production of document”
Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.
Q&A — Section 31
What does Section 31 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?
Section 31 — Governs certifying officers and appellate authority to have powers of civil court and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Every certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses,…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 31?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) Every certifying officer and the appellate authority referred to in section 32 shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses, and compelling the discovery and production of documents, and shall be deemed to be a civil court within the meaning of sections 345 and 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 31 contain a proviso or explanation?
No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.
What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 31?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 31?
No direct Central Rule is recorded in the current concordance. That does not exclude a relevant scheme, notification, State rule or enabling provision.
Is Section 31 currently operative?
All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.
Source & verification trail
Act: Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗
Central Rules: Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026 ↗
Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗
Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.