(1) The 1[State] Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint such persons as possess the prescribed qualification to be Inspectors for the purposes of this Act and may assign to them such local limits as it may think fit.
(2) The 2[State] Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint any person to be a Chief Inspector who shall, in addition to the powers conferred on a Chief Inspector under this Act, exercise the powers of an Inspector throughout the State.
3[(2A) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint as many Additional Chief Inspectors, Joint Chief Inspectors and Deputy Chief Inspectors and as many other officers as it thinks fit to assist the Chief Inspector and to exercise such of the powers of the Chief Inspector as may be specified in such notification.
(2B) Every Additional Chief Inspector, Joint Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspector and every other officer appointed under sub-section (2A) shall, in addition to the powers of a Chief Inspector specified in the notification by which he is appointed, exercise the powers of an Inspector throughout the State.]
(3) No person shall be appointed under sub-section (1), sub-section (2), 4[sub-section (2A)] or sub-section (5), or, having been so appointed, shall continue to hold office, who is or becomes directly or indirectly interested in a factory or in any process or business carried on therein or in any patent or machinery connected therewith.
(4) Every District Magistrate shall be an Inspector for his district.
(5) The 5[State] Government may also, by notification as aforesaid, appoint such public officers as it thinks fit to be Additional Inspectors for all or any of the purposes of this Act, within such local limits as it may assign to them respectively.
(6) In any area where there are more Inspectors than one, the 6[State] Government may, by notification as aforesaid, declare the powers, which such Inspectors shall respectively exercise and the Inspector to whom the prescribed notices are to be sent.
(7) 7[Every Chief Inspector, Additional Chief Inspector, Joint Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspector, Inspector and every other officer appointed under this section] shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of the Indian 1 Subs. for “Provincial” by the Adaptn. of Laws Order, 1950 2 Subs. for “Provincial” by the Adaptn. of Laws Order, 1950 3 Ins. by Act 94 of 1976 (w.e.f. 26.10.1976) 4 Ins. by Act 94 of 1976 (w.e.f. 26.10.1976).
5 Subs. for “Provincial” by the Adaptn. of Laws Order, 1950 6 Subs. for “Provincial” by the Adaptn. of Laws Order, 1950 7 Subs. for “Every Chief Inspector and Inspector” by Act 94 of 1976 (w.e.f. 26.10.1976) 10 The Factories Act, 1948 Sec.
Penal Code (45 of 1860), and shall be officially subordinate to such authority as the State Government may specify in this behalf.