Can a Presenting Officer Serve as a Management Witness in Domestic Enquiry?

Dear friends,

Please clarify the following: Can a Presenting Officer be termed or act as a Management witness in domestic enquiry proceedings?

Not advisable. Who will examine him as a witness when he himself is the Presenting officer. You can't expect the inquiry officer to examine him as a witness as he will be acting as the Presenting Officer. A witness is an independent person who deposes what he knew and then subjects himself to cross-examination by the defense. A Presenting officer's role is to present management's case before the Inquiry officer but not to depose on behalf of the management.

B. Saikumar

There is a difference between "terming the P.O. as Management witness" and "producing the P.O. as a management witness."

There is no ban on producing a Presenting Officer as a management witness, but the moment he is produced as the management witness, he cannot act as a Presenting Officer. He will then have to be changed without fail.