Section 72: Power of Inspector-cum-Facilitator to direct payments to be made
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 72 — Defines the statutory power concerning inspector-cum-facilitator to direct payments to be made and the conditions attached to its exercise. Key operative text: (1) Any woman claiming that,— (a) maternity benefit or any other amount to which she is entitled under this Chapter and any person claiming that payment due under this Chapter has been improperly withheld;
The Code was commenced in stages: section 142 had earlier commencement, S.O. 5319(E) brought the specified provisions into force from 21 November 2025, and later commencement instruments must be read with the current India Code footnotes for the remaining clauses.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- (1) Any woman claiming that,— (a) maternity benefit or any other amount to which she is entitled under this Chapter and any person claiming that payment due under this Chapter has been improperly withheld;
- (b) her employer has discharged or dismissed her during or on account of her absence from work in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, may make a complaint to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
- (2) The Inspector-cum-Facilitator may, on receipt of a complaint referred to in sub-section (1), make an inquiry or cause an inquiry to be made and if satisfied that— (a) payment has been wrongfully withheld, may direct the payment to be made in accordance with his order in writing;
- (b) she has been discharged or dismissed during or on account of her absence from work in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, may pass such orders as he deems just and proper according to the circumstances of the case.
- (4) The decision of the authority referred to in sub-section (3), where an appeal has been preferred to it under that sub-section or of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator where no such appeal has been preferred, shall be final.
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.
Thresholds and timelines in the text
- (3) Any person aggrieved by the order of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator under sub-section (2) may, within thirty days from the date on which such order is communicated to such person, appeal to the authority prescribed by the appropriate Government.
Actors expressly appearing in the text
Employer, Employee / worker, Appropriate Government, Inspector-cum-Facilitator, Authority / officer
Full statutory text — Section 72
72. Power of Inspector-cum-Facilitator to direct payments to be made.—(1) Any woman claiming
that,—
(a) maternity benefit or any other amount to which she is entitled under this Chapter and any person
claiming that payment due under this Chapter has been improperly withheld;
(b) her employer has discharged or dismissed her during or on account of her absence from work
in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter,
may make a complaint to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
(2) The Inspector-cum-Facilitator may, on receipt of a complaint referred to in sub-section (1), make
an inquiry or cause an inquiry to be made and if satisfied that—
(a) payment has been wrongfully withheld, may direct the payment to be made in accordance with
his order in writing;
(b) she has been discharged or dismissed during or on account of her absence from work in
accordance with the provisions of this Chapter,
may pass such orders as he deems just and proper according to the circumstances of the case.
(3) Any person aggrieved by the order of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator under sub-section (2) may,
within thirty days from the date on which such order is communicated to such person, appeal to the authority
prescribed by the appropriate Government.
(4) The decision of the authority referred to in sub-section (3), where an appeal has been preferred to it
under that sub-section or of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator where no such appeal has been preferred, shall
be final.
CHAPTER VII
EMPLOYEE'S COMPENSATIONHow to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) Any woman claiming that,— (a) maternity benefit or any other amount to which she is entitled under this Chapter and any person claiming that payment due under this Chapter has been improperly withheld;
- Additional operative limb — (b) her employer has discharged or dismissed her during or on account of her absence from work in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, may make a complaint to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
- Numerical or timing control — (3) Any person aggrieved by the order of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator under sub-section (2) may, within thirty days from the date on which such order is communicated to such person, appeal to the authority prescribed by the appropriate Government.
- Central Rule mapping — 39, 40. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
- Prescribed-form link recorded in the corpus — XIII-A, XIII-B. Confirm the current notified form/version before filing.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Employee / worker, Appropriate Government, Inspector-cum-Facilitator, Authority / officer.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Forms mapped
XIII-A, XIII-B
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 a worker/member seeking a benefit connected with power of inspector-cum-facilitator to direct payments to be made, the file should show coverage, service/contribution facts, the rule/scheme and prescribed form, and the calculation/payment. One statutory point to test is: “(3) Any person aggrieved by the order of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator under sub-section (2) may, within thirty days from the date on which such order is communicated to such person, appeal to the authority prescribed by the appropriate Government.” Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 39, 40. Use the current notified XIII-A, XIII-B where the process requires it.
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 72
What does Section 72 of the Social Security Code cover?
Section 72 — Defines the statutory power concerning inspector-cum-facilitator to direct payments to be made and the conditions attached to its exercise. Key operative text: (1) Any woman claiming that,— (a) maternity benefit or any other amount to which she is entitled under this Chapter and any person claiming that payment due under this Chapter has been improperly withheld;
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 72?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) Any woman claiming that,— (a) maternity benefit or any other amount to which she is entitled under this Chapter and any person claiming that payment due under this Chapter has been improperly withheld;” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 72 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 72?
The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “(3) Any person aggrieved by the order of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator under sub-section (2) may, within thirty days from the date on which such order is communicated to such person, appeal to the authority prescribed by the appropriate Government.” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 72?
The current concordance maps Section 72 to Central Rule(s) 39, 40.
Is a prescribed form mapped to Section 72?
The current corpus records: XIII-A, XIII-B. Confirm the current notified version before filing or service.
Is Section 72 currently operative?
The Code was commenced in stages: section 142 had earlier commencement, S.O. 5319(E) brought the specified provisions into force from 21 November 2025, and later commencement instruments must be read with the current India Code footnotes for the remaining clauses.
Source & verification trail
Act: Code on Social Security, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗
Central Rules: Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 344(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.