The Supreme Court made the observation while setting aside a Gauhati High Court decision, in which the High Court had ruled that certain inquiry proceedings stood vitiated because the Complaints Committee had put questions to the prosecution witnesses.
Disagreeing with this approach, the top court said:
“If the observations of the High Court are accepted, it would lead to a chilling effect, whereby the complaints committee which is deemed to be an inquiry authority would be reduced to a mere recording machine … We fail to understand what other purpose the complaints committee which is deemed to be an ‘inquiry authority’ would serve, if we are to hold that the complaints committee cannot put questions to the witnesses.”
Source: Barandbench
