¹[17B. Inspectors.--(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint such persons as it thinks fit to be Inspectors for the purposes of this Act and may define the local limits within which they shall exercise their functions.
     (2) Any Inspector appointed under sub-section (1) may for the purpose of ascertaining whether any of the provisions of this Act or of the Working Journalists (Fixation of Rates of Wages) Act, 1958 (29 of 1958) have been complied with in respect of a newspaper establishment--
         (a) require an employer to furnish such information as he may consider necessary;
         (b) at any reasonable time enter any newspaper establishment or any premises connected therewith and require any one found in charge thereof to produce before him for examination any accounts, books, registers and other documents relating to the employment of persons or the payment of wages in the establishment;
         (c) examine with respect to any matter relevant to any of the purposes aforesaid, the employer, his agent or servant or any other person found in charge of the newspaper establishment or any premises connected therewith or any person whom the Inspector has reasonable cause to believe to be or to have been an employee in the establishment;
         (d) make copies of or take extracts from any book, register or other documents maintained in relation to the newspaper establishment;
         (e) exercise such other powers as may be prescribed.
     (3) Every Inspector shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
     (4) Any person required to produce any document or thing or to give information by an Inspector under sub-section (2) shall be legally bound to do so.]