Labour Hub › Industrial Relations Code › Sections › Section 81

Industrial Relations Code, 2020 · CHAPTER X — SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO LAY-OFF, RETRENCHMENT AND CLOSURE IN CERTAIN — ESTABLISHMENTS

Section 81: Duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026

Section 81 — Governs duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries…

Full official textSource checked: 20 August 20260 direct Central Rule link(s)

Current-law status

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.

Primary sources

Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗

Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does

Operative clauses

Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers who may present themselves for work at the establishment at the appointed time during normal working hours.

Provisos, explanations & qualifications

No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.

Thresholds and timelines in the text

Duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers.—Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers who may present themselves for work at the establishment at…

Actors expressly appearing in the text

Employer, Worker

Full statutory text — Section 81

Official English text transcribed from the current India Code consolidation; page headers/line breaks are normalised for web reading. The Gazette/India Code PDF remains authoritative for typography, amendment footnotes and schedules.

81. Duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers.—Notwithstanding that workers in
any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for
the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers
who may present themselves for work at the establishment at the appointed time during normal working
hours.

How to apply this provision

Primary statutory test — Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers who may present themselves for work at the establishment at the appointed time during normal working hours.
Numerical or timing control — Duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers.—Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers who may present themselves for work at the establishment at…
Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Worker.

Why this is section-specific: the operative-clause, exception, threshold and cross-reference panels above are extracted from Section 81 itself rather than a generic “trigger/control/evidence” template.

Rules, forms and cross-references

Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Forms mapped

No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.

Other sections cited in this text

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Related Labour Hub resources

Model Standing Orders, 2026 Labour litigation

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 duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers. 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: “Duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers.—Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries th”

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 81

What does Section 81 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?

What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 81?

The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers who may present themselves for work at the establishment at the appointed time during normal working hours.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.

Does Section 81 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 81?

The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “Duty of an employer to maintain muster rolls of workers.—Notwithstanding that workers in any industrial establishment have been laid-off, it shall be the duty of every employer to maintain for the purposes of this Chapter a muster roll, and to provide for the making of entries therein by workers who may present themselves for work at the establishment at…” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.

Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 81?

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 81 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.

Reliance note: This page is an educational legal-reference layer. Verify the current official text, the applicable Central/State rules, notifications, schemes and judicial decisions before acting on a live matter.