Section 121: Power of appropriate Government to direct inquiry in certain cases
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 121 — Defines the statutory power concerning appropriate government to direct inquiry in certain cases and the conditions attached to its exercise. Key operative text: (2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by…
All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5321(E), subject to the Central/State appropriate-Government split and provision-specific appointments/notifications.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- (2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government on the situation relating to safety or health at work at any workplace or class of workplaces or into the effect of work activity on the health of the employees…
- (3) The officer directed or committee appointed, under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), to hold an inquiry, shall have the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), for the purposes of enforcing the attendance of witnesses and compelling the production of documents and material objects, and may also so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the inquiry, exercise such…
- (4) The Central Government may make rules for regulating the procedure of inquiry and survey and other related matters under this section.
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
Employee / worker, Appropriate Government, Central Government, Inspector-cum-Facilitator
Full statutory text — Section 121
121. Power of appropriate Government to direct inquiry in certain cases.—(1) The appropriate Government may, in the event of the occurrence of an accident in an establishment which has caused or had the potentiality to cause serious danger to employees and other persons within, and in the vicinity of the workplace or whether immediate or delayed, or any occupational disease as specified in the Third Schedule, which has been or is suspected to have been contracted, in epidemic proportions, appoint one or more persons possessing legal or special knowledge to act as assessors or competent persons in such inquiry in order to inquire into the causes of the accident and disease, fix responsibilities and suggest a plan of action for the future to prevent such accidents or diseases and submit the report to the appropriate Government. (2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government on the situation relating to safety or health at work at any workplace or class of workplaces or into the effect of work activity on the health of the employees and other persons within and in the vicinity of the workplace. (3) The officer directed or committee appointed, under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), to hold an inquiry, shall have the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), for the purposes of enforcing the attendance of witnesses and compelling the production of documents and material objects, and may also so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the inquiry, exercise such powers of an Inspector-cum-Facilitator under this Code as may be necessary. (4) The Central Government may make rules for regulating the procedure of inquiry and survey and other related matters under this section.
How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government on the situation relating to safety or health at work at any workplace or class of workplaces or into the effect of work activity on the health of the employees…
- Additional operative limb — (3) The officer directed or committee appointed, under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), to hold an inquiry, shall have the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), for the purposes of enforcing the attendance of witnesses and compelling the production of documents and material objects, and may also so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the inquiry, exercise such…
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employee / worker, Appropriate Government, Central Government, Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
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
For an establishment affected by power of appropriate government to direct inquiry in certain cases, the compliance owner should identify the applicable sector and authority, document the prescribed control/notice/record and retain inspection or training evidence. A text point to test is: “(2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government on the situation relating ”
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 121
What does Section 121 of the OSHWC Code cover?
Section 121 — Defines the statutory power concerning appropriate government to direct inquiry in certain cases and the conditions attached to its exercise. Key operative text: (2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 121?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(2) The appropriate Government may direct a Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or any other officer under the control of the Government concerned or appoint a committee to undertake a survey in such manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government on the situation relating to safety or health at work at any workplace or class of workplaces or into the effect of work activity on the health of the employees…” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 121 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 121?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 121?
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 121 currently operative?
All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5321(E), subject to the Central/State appropriate-Government split and provision-specific appointments/notifications.
Source & verification trail
Act: Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗
Central Rules: Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 345(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.