Employee's Compensation Act, 1923 · Chapter III: Commissioners
Section 20: Appointment of Commissioners
The Employee's Compensation Act, 1923 was repealed and replaced by the Code on Social Security, 2020 from 21 November 2025. It still applies to matters and proceedings from before that date, as the repealing law provides.
(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, [who is or has been a member of a State Judicial Service for a period of not less than five years or is or has been for not less than five years an advocate or a pleader or is or has been a Gazetted Officer for not less than five years having education qualifications and experience in personnel management, human resource development and industrial relations] appoint any person to be a Commissioner for Workmen’s Compensation for such *** area as may be specified in the notification.
[(2) Where more than one Commissioner had been appointed for any *** area, the State Government may, by general or special order, regulate the distribution of business between them.] [(3)] Any Commissioner may, for the purpose of deciding any matter referred to him for decision under this Act, choose one or more persons possessing special knowledge of any matter relevant to the matter under inquiry to assist him in holding the inquiry. [(4)] Every Commissioner shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.