Assam government orders empanelment of retired officers as inquiry officers

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Assam government has issued a fresh executive order laying down a comprehensive procedure for the empanelment of retired officers as Inquiry Officers for conducting departmental inquiries across all state government departments. The new order supersedes an earlier office memorandum on the subject dated August 7, 2023.

As per the order issued by the Department of Personnel, the Department will act as the nodal department and maintain rank-wise panels of retired officers who have served under the Government of Assam. Only officers at or above the rank of Joint Secretary or equivalent will be considered for empanelment.

The panel of retired inquiry officers will remain valid for a period of three years, and eligible officers must be under the age of 65 at the time of empanelment. However, empanelled Inquiry Officers will be allowed to conduct enquiries up to the age of 70 years. Applicants must also have a clean service record with no disciplinary penalties or criminal prosecution, and they must express their willingness to serve.

A three-member committee headed by the Chief Secretary, Assam, with the senior-most Secretaries of the Personnel and Finance Departments as members, will scrutinize applications and select a maximum of 25 Inquiry Officers at a time. The panel will be notified as the “State Enquiry Officers Panel” and updated on a continuous basis.

Departments requiring an Inquiry Officer for departmental proceedings will request the Personnel Department, and the disciplinary authority will appoint an Inquiry Officer from the approved panel. Officers who worked in the department concerned in the five years preceding their retirement will not be eligible for appointment in that department’s cases.

The order limits the number of disciplinary cases assigned to an Inquiry Officer to a maximum of eight at any given time. Inquiry Officers will be required to give undertakings regarding impartiality, confidentiality, and non-association with the concerned department in the recent past.

Inquiry reports must be submitted within one month of receiving records, with extensions permitted only as per existing departmental rules.

The performance of each empanelled Inquiry Officer will be reviewed after every inquiry, and those found lacking in adherence to timelines, procedures, or quality of work may be removed from the panel.

The new guidelines are aimed at ensuring transparency, efficiency, and uniformity in the conduct of departmental inquiries across the Government of Assam.

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