Section 24: Officers and Employees of Board
Section 24 gives the Board a short, practical staffing power: it can hire the officers and employees it needs, subject to the Central Government's prior approval.
Quick summary
What Section 24 says
- Section 24 — the Board may, with the previous approval of the Central Government, appoint such officers and employees as it deems necessary for the efficient discharge of its functions under the provisions of the Act, on such terms and conditions of appointment and service as may be prescribed.
Breaking it down
This is a single-sentence, purely administrative provision — but it's what allows the Board to actually operate as more than just its Chairperson and Members. Investigating complaints, running digital-office systems, processing breach intimations, and managing appeals all require staff beyond the Board's own leadership.
The Board decides its own staffing needs, but not unilaterally. “As it deems necessary” gives the Board discretion over its own workforce planning, but that discretion is checked by the requirement for the Central Government's previous (i.e., prior) approval before any appointment — the Board can't simply expand its own staff independently.
Terms and conditions of service are left to be prescribed, mirroring how Chairperson/Member terms work under Section 20. This keeps the Act's own text focused on the power itself, with the operational detail delegated to the Rules.
Why this section matters
A regulator with statutory powers but no staff to exercise them in practice would be largely symbolic. Section 24 is the enabling provision that lets the Board build the operational capacity — investigators, technical staff, administrative personnel — that its actual functions under Sections 27 and 28 require.
Real-world example
Staffing the Board's day-to-day operations
As the Board's caseload grows following the 13 May 2027 commencement of Chapter II's core obligations, it needs to expand beyond its Chairperson and Members.
- Technical staff — to evaluate breach intimations and assess security-safeguard compliance.
- Legal and administrative officers — to manage the inquiry process described in Section 28.
- Digital-office support staff — to run the online systems Section 28(1) requires for receipt, allocation, hearing and pronouncement of proceedings.
- Approval for each appointment — each such appointment requires the Central Government's prior approval under this section, on terms and conditions set out in the Rules.
Who needs to care about this section
- The Board itself — this is its statutory basis for building operational capacity.
- Anyone interacting with Board staff (as opposed to the Chairperson or Members directly) — understanding this section clarifies the legal basis for that staff's role.
Common questions
Can the Board hire staff without government involvement?
Are Board officers and employees covered by the same public-servant status as the Chairperson and Members?
Related sections
Section 25 — Members and Officers to be Public Servants
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Read Section 25Section 23 — Proceedings of Board
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Read Section 23Chapter V — Data Protection Board of India
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