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             Why  and  when  a  domestic  enquiry  is  necessary    A   domestic   inquiry   is   an   internal   hearing   held   by   an   employer   to   establish   whether   an  employee   is  guilty  of  misconduct  and  to  provide  an  opportunity   for   the  employee  to  state  his   case.   Misconduct   related   to   duty,   discipline   or   morality   could   either   be   a   minor  misconduct   or   a  major   one.     Preliminary   investigation   to   establish   this   would   need   to   be  carried   out   almost   immediately   on   receiving   the   complaint.   All   those   involved  need   to   be  interviewed  and  their  evidence  /  statements  recorded  in  writing.  For  a  minor  misconduct  an  employee   could   be   issued   a   warning   letter   while   for   a   major   misconduct   it   becomes  necessary  to  conduct  a  domestic  enquiry.    The   Industrial   Court,   under   the   provisions   of  The   Industrial   Relations   Act   1967,   does   not  merely   examine   whether   there   were   proper   grounds   for   the   employer   to   terminate   the  services   of   the   employee   but   also   examines  whether   the   process   by  which   the   employee  was  terminated  was  fair  or  unfair.    Hence  it  is  important  to  carry  out  the  domestic  enquiry  in  all  fairness  and  not  just  as  a  mere  formality.  It  is  important  to  ensure  that  the  basic  principles  of  natural  justice  are  observed.      

(i)   That   the   employee   is   given   an   opportunity   to   know,   in   full,   the   charges  made  against  him.  (ii)   The   employee   has   reasonable   opportunity   of   defending   himself   against   the  charges.  (iii)  The  management   team  which  sits  as   the   Inquiry  Panel   should  be  unconnected  with  the  events  and  circumstances  surrounding  the  charge  

 The  Domestic  Enquiry  Process    

1. Show  cause  notice  If  the  investigation  establishes  a  prima  facie  case  justifying  the  complaint  a  show  cause  /  charge  sheet  needs  to  be  issued.  This  calls  for  an  explanation  from  the  employee  and  clearly  sets  out  all  the  allegations  to  which  the  employee  is  requested  to  “show  cause”.  It  should  be  signed  by  HR  or  Head  of  the  Department.    

Name  of  the  person  charged  Employee  number  Address  Date,  Time  &  Place  of  Occurrence    Narration  of  the  misconduct  alleged  Relevant  clause  and  specific  act  of  misconduct  under  the  standing  orders/  settlement.  Calling  for  an  explanation  within  a  stipulated  time  and  to  whom  the  response  is  to  be  submitted  If  the  charge  rests  on  a  written  report,  a  copy  of  that  report  to  be  enclosed.  

CONDUCTING  A  DOMESTIC  ENQUIRY  

   

 

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2. Care  must  be  taken  that  the  period  of  suspension  and  the  amount  of  pay  the  employee  receives  during  the  period  of  suspension  are  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Employment  Act  or  relevant  settlement  signed  with  the  employees.  

3. Once  the  response  to  the  show  cause  is  received  and  if  you  are  not  satisfied  with  it  the  next  step  is  to  send  a  notice  of  the  domestic  inquiry  to  the  employee.  The  notice  should  give  details  of  the  date,  time  and  place  of  inquiry  and  should  state  that  the  employee  would  be  entitled  to  cross  examine  the  witnesses  and  could  also  bring  witnesses  and  documents  of  his  own.  

4. Identify  the  members  of  the  panel  for  the  inquiry.  Ensure  that  they  have  not  been  directly  involved  in  the  case  and  are  of  a  certain  rank  /  grade  within  the  organization.  Make  sure  they  are  definitely  managers  with  your  organization.  They  should  have  an  understanding  of  how  a  domestic  enquiry  needs  to  be  carried  out.  

5. All  statements  given  in  the  inquiry  should  be  carefully  recorded  either  by  the  Panel  Member  or  an  individual  assigned  that  role.  The  notes  should  be  typed  out  and    a  copy  given  to  the  employee  at  the  end  of  each  hearing  and  signed  by  both  parties.    

6. At  the  beginning  of  the  inquiry  the  charge  must  be  read  out  to  him/her  once  again  and  explained.  If  the  employee  admits  to  the  charge,  then  he  is  given  an  opportunity  to  explain  the  circumstances  and  the  inquiry  officer  will  then  ask  the  officer  presenting  the  case  to  state  the  facts  so  that  punishment  could  be  decided.  

7. A  case  can  also  be  heard  if  the  employee  is  absent.  However,  the  proceedings  would  need  to  be  recorded  and  a  copy  sent  to  him/her.  

8. Witnesses  can  be  cross-­‐examined  by  either  party  and  their  statements  would  be  recorded  in  a  similar  fashion  and  the  witnesses  would  need  to  sign  their  statements.    

9. An  employee  could  be  accompanied  by  a  union  representative  but  cannot  insist  on  legal  representation.    

10.  Once  the  enquiry  is  complete  the  findings  would  need  to  be  put  down  as  a  report  including  all  evidence  and  the  conclusion  on  the  charges.  This  is  to  be  sent  to  the  appropriate  authority  in  management  who  would  then  decide  on  the  punishment.  The  inquiry  officer/panel  does  not  decide  on  the  punishment.