(1) The Ombudsman shall, upon a complaint made by any person, inquire into the violations of the provisions of this Act, in relation to acts of discrimination mentioned in section 3 and providing of healthcare services by any person, in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
(2) The Ombudsman may require any person to furnish information on such points or matters, as he considers necessary, for inquiring into the matter and any person so required shall be deemed to be legally bound to furnish such information and failure to do so shall be punishable under sections 176 and 177 of the Indian Penal Code.
(3) The Ombudsman shall maintain records in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
25. The complaints may be made to the Ombudsman under sub-section (1) of section 24 in such manner, as may be prescribed, by the State Government.
26. The Ombudsman shall, within a period of thirty days of the receipt of the complaint under sub-section (1) of section 24, and after giving an opportunity of being heard to the parties, pass such order, as he deems fit, giving reasons therefor:
Provided that in cases of medical emergency of HIV positive persons, the Ombudsman shall pass such order as soon as possible, preferably within twenty-four hours of the receipt of the complaint.
Appointment of Ombudsman.
Powers of Ombudsman.
45 of 1860.
Procedure of complaint.
Orders of Ombudsman.
12 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—
27. All authorities including the civil authorities functioning in the area for which the Ombudsman has been appointed under section 23 shall assist in execution of orders passed by the Ombudsman.
28. The Ombudsman shall, after every six months, report to the State Government, the number and nature of complaints received, the action taken and orders passed in relation to such complaints and such report shall be published on the website of the Ombudsman and a copy thereof be forwarded to the Central Government.
CHAPTER XI SPECIAL PROVISIONS
29. Every protected person shall have the right to reside in the shared household, the right not to be excluded from the shared household or any part of it and the right to enjoy and use the facilities of such shared household in a non-discriminatory manner.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the expression “shared household” means a household where a person lives or at any stage has lived in a domestic relationship either singly or along with another person and includes such a household, whether owned or tenanted, either jointly or singly, any such household in respect of which either person or both, jointly or singly, have any right, title, interest or equity or a household which may belong to a joint family of which either person is a member, irrespective of whether either person has any right, title or interest in the shared household.
30. The Central Government shall specify guidelines for the provision of HIV-related information, education and communication before marriage and ensure their wide dissemination.