Regulation For Private Investigation Agencies

By Author: Sachit
Total Articles: 8
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Private and government investigation agencies work with the common aim to protect the interest and safety of the citizens of our country. There are more than 500,000 people being employed in investigation agencies.

Investigation Agencies in India works by upholding the Constitution of India and the Laws of the country by maintaining the complete protection of Human Rights and dignity of an individual.

Demand for Investigation Agencies
Investigation agencies are much in demand for the services they offer. Their services include- corporate frauds, pre-matrimonial checks, criminal cases, insurance matters, divorce cases, Keeling an eye on cheating partners, corporate inquiries starting from due diligence in joint ventures to planting undercover secret agents in rival companies, political spying at times of election, counter-surveillance services like sweeping and debugging and so on.

Investigation Agencies In India carries all the tasks that are demanded by the people in daily life. Due to its high responsibility to protect the rights and interests of the society, it is mandatory for the agency to have ...
... a list of regulations.
In India, Private Investigation Agencies are legal but there is no direct control of government on these agencies. They are free to operate in any part of India due to lack of legal laws to regulate them. However, the bill was passed in the year 2007, with certain regulation but it is yet not passed in the parliament.

Private detective Agencies Bill, 2007
Before 2005, there was no existing legislation to regulate their work until Private Security Agencies Act, 2005 was passed. Then in the year 2007, The Private Detective Agencies Bill, 2007 was passed. The Act provides rules and regulations for Private Investigation Agencies in India by specifying the parameters within which the agencies have to operate, the penalties for different offenses related to their work. The act also grants the license for working as an Investigation Agencies.

Highlights of the Bill of Private Agencies
The Private Detective Agencies Act, 2007 provides regulation for operating as a private investigation agency and provides license for operating as a private investigation agency.
It is mandatory for every private agency to obtain a licence. Licences shall be granted by regulation boards from central and state levels.

A private investigation agency can employ a person as an agent only if he is a citizen of India, age must be 21 years or above and satisfies certain requirements related to training, physical fitness and antecedents.

It is mandatory for the private agency to maintain a register of specific information that includes names and addresses of the managers, staff members and clients. It is also necessary to note down the salaries of the staff members and list of the cases it has undertaken for a client.

If any private agent violates a person's right to freedoms and privacy shall be punishable with imprisonment and a fine of certain amount.

Fee Structure of Private Agencies in India

The Fee Structure of Private Investigation Agencies in India depends upon the following Factors-

The Location of an Investigation

The type of case

The time frame required