Chapter V - Inquiry
Section 13: Inquiry report
Reviewed by Nikhil Gupta and Kajri Singh · Last reviewed 17 July 2026
Requires the inquiry report within ten days after completion, provides outcomes and recommendations, and requires the employer or District Officer to act within sixty days.
Act No. 14 of 2013Authority: Internal Committee or Local Committee; employer or District OfficerData reviewed on 17 July 2026
In 2 minutes
Requires the inquiry report within ten days after completion, provides outcomes and recommendations, and requires the employer or District Officer to act within sixty days.
Statutory text
13. Inquiry report.—(1) On the completion of an inquiry under this Act, the Internal Committee or
the Local Committee, as the case may be, shall provide a report of its findings to the employer, or as the
case may be, the District Officer within a period of ten days from the date of completion of the inquiry
and such report be made available to the concerned parties.
(2) Where the Internal Committee or the Local Committee, as the case may be, arrives at the
conclusion that the allegation against the respondent has not been proved, it shall recommend to the
employer and the District Officer that no action is required to be taken in the matter.
(3) Where the Internal Committee or the Local Committee, as the case may be, arrives at the
conclusion that the allegation against the respondent has been proved, it shall recommend to the employer
or the District Officer, as the case may be—
(i) to take action for sexual harassment as a misconduct in accordance with the provisions of the
service rules applicable to the respondent or where no such service rules have been made, in such
manner as may be prescribed;
(ii) to deduct, notwithstanding anything in the service rules applicable to the respondent, from the
salary or wages of the respondent such sum as it may consider appropriate to be paid to the aggrieved
woman or to her legal heirs, as it may determine, in accordance with the provisions of section 15:
Provide that in case the employer is unable to make such deduction from the salary of the
respondent due to his being absent from duty or cessation of employment it may direct to the
respondent to pay such sum to the aggrieved woman:
Provided further that in case the respondent fails to pay the sum referred to in clause (ii), the
Internal Committee or as, the case may be, the Local Committee may forward the order for recovery
of the sum as an arrear of land revenue to the concerned District Officer.
(4) The employer or the District Officer shall act upon the recommendation within sixty days of its
receipt by him.
Source transcription: India Code consolidated Act PDF. Check the official source for a live matter.
Rule, authority, record and consequence map
| Related Central Rule | Rule 9: Manner of taking action for sexual harassment |
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| Primary authority | Internal Committee or Local Committee; employer or District Officer |
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| Core record | Inquiry report, delivery proof and action-taken record |
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| Compliance consequence | Failure to issue or implement the report within statutory timelines creates appeal and section 26 risk. |
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Practical example
After completing inquiry, the committee issues its report to the concerned parties within ten days and management records action within sixty days.
Finin2min Q&A
What should an employer or committee do first?
Create the record identified above, check the linked Rule and preserve a dated decision trail. Do not replace the statutory process with an informal HR discussion where the Act applies.
What needs jurisdiction-specific checking?
State rules and notifications, District Officer and Local Committee details, service rules, standing orders, appellate forum and any sector regulator requirements.
Source and review trail
Use the current official instrument, portal or regulator publication before acting.
- Official starting point
- wcd.gov.in