10Inspector

(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint such persons as it thinks fit to be Inspectors for the purposes of the Coal Mines Provident Fund Scheme ¹[or the Insurance Scheme] or the Coal Mines Bonus Scheme and may define their jurisdiction.

(2) An Inspector may, in respect of any coal mine within his jurisdiction,--

²[(a) require an employer or any contractor from whom any amount is recoverable under section 10E--

(i) to furnish such information, or

(ii) to produce in the office of the Inspector or such other place as may be nearer to the employer or, as the case may be, the contractor, such accounts, books, registers and other documents,

relating to the employment of persons in a coal mine as the Inspector may consider necessary for the purposes of any scheme framed under this Act;]

(b) at any reasonable time ³[and with such assistance, if any, as he may think fit, enter and search any coal mine] and require any one found in charge thereof to produce before him such accounts, books, registers and other documents relating to the employment of persons in the coal mine as he may consider necessary;

(c) examine, with respect to any matter relevant to any of the purposes aforesaid, the employer ⁴[or any contractor from whom any amount is recoverable under section 10E], his agent or servant or any other person found in charge of the coal mine ⁵* * * or whom the Inspector has reasonable cause to believe to be or to have been an employee in the coal mine.

⁴(d) make copies of, or take extracts from, any accounts, books, registers or other documents maintained in relation to a coal mine and where he has reason to believe that any offence under this Act has been committed by an employer or contractor, seize with such assistance as he may think fit, such accounts, books, registers or other documents or portions thereof as he may consider relevant in respect of that offence;

(e) exercise such other powers as any such Scheme may provide.]

⁴(2A) Every person required to furnish any information or produce any document under clause (a) or clause (b) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to be legally bound to do so within the meaning of section 175 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

(2B) The provisions of the ⁶[Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, (2 of 1974)] shall, so far as may be, apply to any search or seizure under sub-section (2) as they apply to any search or seizure made under the authority of a warrant issued under ⁶[section 94 of the said Code.]

(3) Every Inspector shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (45 of 1860).