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Chapter VIII · Miscellaneous

Section 29

Power of appropriate Government to make rules

Statutory textCounsel-reviewed publication
The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act.
In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:—
the fees or allowances to be paid to the Members under sub-section (4) of section 4;
nomination of members under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 7;
the fees or allowances to be paid to the Chairperson, and Members under sub-section (4) of section 7;
the person who may make complaint under sub-section (2) of section 9;
the manner of inquiry under sub-section (1) of section 11;
the powers for making an inquiry under clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 11;
the relief to be recommended under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 12;
the manner of action to be taken under clause (i) of sub-section (3) of section 13;
the manner of action to be taken under sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 14;
the manner of action to be taken under section 17;
the manner of appeal under sub-section (1) of section 18;
the manner of organising workshops, awareness programmes for sensitising the employees and orientation programmes for the members of the Internal Committee under clause (c) of section 19; and
the form and time for preparation of annual report by Internal Committee and the Local Committee under sub-section (1) of section 21.
Every rule made by the Central Government under this Act shall be laid as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.
Any rule made under sub-section (4) of section 8 by the State Government shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature where it consists of two Houses, or where such Legislature consists of one House, before that House.

Transcribed from the official India Code source for reading and comparison. PIH plain-language guidance is editorial and separate; this page is not legal advice.

Source: India Code, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of IndiaRetrieved: 2026-09-10India Code PDF, pp. 13–14India Code PDF — last updated 31 August 2021

Plain Language

The Central Government has the power to make rules for carrying out the Act, and Section 29(2) lists specific matters that may be covered — including fees, complaint assistance, inquiry procedure, interim relief, compensation-related action, confidentiality-related action, appeals, employer training detail, and annual reports.

Section 29(4) addresses State Government rules made under Section 8(4) for the agency-account provision; it is not a general statement that every State may make a parallel set of rules for all Act provisions.

Central Government rules must be laid before Parliament and can be modified or annulled by both Houses.

Why It Matters

Operational detail often lives in the rules, not the Act itself. Good compliance work reads the Act together with the applicable rules.

Where the Act says something is 'prescribed', the answer is in the rules — not in the Act.

Rules made under Section 8(4) may supply the prescribed account-maintenance and audit detail for the designated agency.

Practical Example

Scenario: An IC is setting up its inquiry procedure and needs to know the prescribed process for evidence handling, hearing format, and report preparation.

Outcome: The answer lies in the applicable rules made under Section 29, not just in the Act's high-level provisions in Section 11.

Scenario: A State Government issues rules under Section 8(4) specifying how the designated agency's accounts are maintained and audited.

Outcome: Those rules are laid before the State Legislature in accordance with Section 29(4); they concern the agency-account mechanism, not an invented general annual-report deadline under Section 29.

Who Must Act

government

  • Make rules for carrying out the provisions of the Act.
  • Lay Central Government rules before Parliament for review.
  • Make rules under Section 8(4) where required for the agency-account mechanism and lay them before the State Legislature.

employer

  • Use the rules to fill the procedure gaps the statute leaves at a high level.
  • Check the Central Government Rules and any applicable State rules made under Section 8(4) before finalising compliance processes.

ic member

  • Always check the governing rules before finalising committee SOPs.

Compliance

✓

Comply with Central Government rules for inquiry, reporting, and other prescribed matters

Actor: All stakeholders · Rule: Section 29(2)

✓

Comply with applicable State rules made under Section 8(4)

Actor: All stakeholders in the state · Rule: Section 29(4)

Common Mistakes

✗

Relying solely on the Act's text without checking the applicable rules for procedural detail.

✗

Assuming Section 29(4) gives every State a general parallel rule-making power — the text specifically addresses rules under Section 8(4).

✗

Ignoring that 'prescribed' in the Act always means 'prescribed by rules' — look up the rules, not the Act, for the answer.

Related Sections

§8Grants and audit — Rules govern the fees and allowances for Local Committee members§9Complaint of sexual harassment — Rules may identify the person who may make a complaint under Section 9(2)§11Inquiry into complaint — Rules prescribe the inquiry procedure§21Committee to submit annual report — Rules prescribe the annual report form and submission timeline

Source & Status

Source and review statusPublication ready
Source version
India Code PDF — last updated 31 August 2021
Source location
India Code PDF, pp. 13–14
Retrieved

View the official record page

Statutory blocks are kept separate from PIH plain-language and operational guidance. The reading copy is not legal advice.

Legal review status: counsel-reviewed. All sections have valid documentary counsel evidence and publication signals are enabled.

Judicial material: no verified judicial interpretation is published in this reading copy. Judicial analysis is a separate layer from the statutory transcription and PIH editorial guidance.