law: Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011
  Chapter IV Powers of Competent Authority
  7. Powers of Competent Authority.
  1.    Without
  
  prejudice to the powers conferred upon the Competent Authority under any other
  
  law for the time being in force, the Competent Authority, may require, for the
  
  purpose of any inquiry any public servant or any other person who in its
  
  opinion shall be able to furnish information or produce documents relevant to
  
  the inquiry or assist in the inquiry, to furnish any such information or
  
  produce any such document as may be necessary for the said purpose.
  2.    For the
  
  purpose of any such inquiry (including the preliminary inquiry), the Competent
  
  Authority shall have all the powers of a Civil Court while trying a suit under
  
  the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, in respect of the following matters,
  
  namely:-
  a.  
  
    summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and
  
  examining him on oath;
  b.  
  
    requiring the discovery and production of any document;
  c.  
  
    receiving evidence on affidavits;
  d.  
  
    requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court
  
  or office;
  e.  
  
    issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or
  
  documents;
  f.  
  
    such other matters as may be prescribed.
  1.  
  
    
  2.  
  
    
  3.    The
  
  Competent Authority shall be deemed to be a Civil Court for the purpose of
  
  section 195 and Chapter XXVI of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and every
  
  proceeding before the Competent Authority shall be deemed to be a judicial
  
  proceeding within the meaning of sections 193 and 228 and for the purposes of
  
  section 196 of the Indian Penal Code.
  4.    Subject
  
  to the provisions of section 8, no obligation to maintain secrecy or other
  
  restriction upon the disclosure of information obtained by or furnished to the
  
  Government or any public servant, whether imposed by the Official Secrets Act,
  
  1923 or any other law for the time being in force, shall be claimed by any
  
  public servant in the proceedings before the Competent Authority or any person
  
  or agency authorised by it in writing and the Government or any public servant
  
  shall not be entitled in relation to any such inquiry, to any such privilege in
  
  respect of the production of documents or the giving of evidence as is allowed
  
  by any enactment or by any rules made there under:
  Provided that the Competent Authority, while exercising such
  
  powers of the Civil Court, shall take steps as necessary to ensure that the
  
  identity of the person making complaint has not been revealed or compromised.