Law Relating To Departmental Enquiries

Law Relating to Departmental Enquiries is a concise yet comprehensive practitioner’s handbook on disciplinary procedure under service law. Beginning with the legal foundations — statutory & contractual service rules, principles of natural justice and relevant administrative law — the book walks through pre-enquiry steps (investigation, suspension, show-cause notices), framing charges, appointment of enquiry officers, and conducting hearings (witness examination, documentary proof, cross-examination). It analyses standards of proof in service matters, common judicial interventions, and remedies available to employees including interim relief and departmental appeals. Practical features include ready-to-use templates (charge-sheet, show-cause notice, inquiry report), checklists for evidence preservation, model queries for witness examination, and a sample appellate memorandum. Special chapters address sensitive areas: misconduct vs incompetence, criminal overlap, summary vs full enquiry, role of counsel, and compliance traps for service authorities. Updated with contemporary service jurisprudence and procedural best practices, the book helps administrative officers, in-house HR counsels and litigators design enquiries that are effective, defensible and fair — reducing chances of annulment on procedural grounds while safeguarding employees’ rights. Ideal for day-to-day departmental practice, legal aid clinics and training of enquiry officers.