249. Removal from register of names of valuers and restoration. —

(1) The Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Principal Director General of Income-tax or Director General of Income-tax may remove the name of any person from the register of valuers where he is satisfied, after giving that person a reasonable opportunity of being heard and after such further inquiry, if any, as he thinks fit to make, —

(a) that his name has been entered in the register by error or on account of misrepresentation or suppression of a material fact;

(b) that he has been convicted of any offence and sentenced to a term of imprisonment or has been guilty of any malpractice or misconduct in his professional capacity which, in the opinion of the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Principal Director General of Income-tax or Director General of Income-tax, renders him unfit to be kept in the register.

(2) The Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Principal Director General of Income-tax or Director General of Income-tax may, on application and on sufficient cause being shown, restore to the register the name of any person removed therefrom.

(3) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-rules (1) and (2), the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Principal Director General of Income-tax or Director General of Income-tax shall, once in five years review the performance of all the registered valuers and may remove the name of any person from the Register of Valuers where he is satisfied, after giving that person a reasonable opportunity of being heard and after such further inquiry, if any, as he thinks fit to make, that his performance is such that his name should not remain on the Register of Valuers.

(4) The Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Principal Director General of Income-tax or Director General of Income-tax may himself conduct the inquiry referred to in sub-rule (1) or (3) or appoint an Inquiry Officer not below the rank of Joint Commissioner of Income-tax to conduct such inquiry, and for the purposes of such inquiry, the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Chief Commissioner of Income-tax or Principal Director General of Income-tax or Director General of Income-tax and the Inquiry Officer so appointed shall have the same powers as are vested in a court under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023),

when trying a suit in respect of the following matters, namely:—

(a) discovery and inspection;

(b) enforcing the attendance of any person including any officer of a banking company and examining him on oath;

(c) compelling the production of books of account and other documents;

(d) issuing commission.