Yes, a gazetted officer can legally attest the documents of their family members in India, as there is no specific rule in the Central Civil Services (CCS) Rules that explicitly bars them from doing so.
Legal Responsibility: A gazetted officer is legally responsible for verifying the authenticity of the original documents and the identity of the person. If an attestation is found to be false or defective, the officer can be prosecuted regardless of their relationship to the applicant. Yes, a gazetted officer can legally attest the
: Many receiving authorities (like passport offices or universities) will reject documents if the surnames match or if a relationship is suspected. Professional Ethics According to the Indian Government's guidelines, a gazetted
Best Practices
When the officer is acting in official capacity, not personal capacity
If a gazetted officer attests a document for a family member as part of their official duties (e.g., a District Magistrate attesting a domicile certificate for their son as part of a public camp), it may still be technically allowed but is widely discouraged and often flagged during scrutiny. According to the Indian Government's guidelines
According to the Indian Government's guidelines, a gazetted officer can attest documents of family members, but they must ensure that they are not related to the individual by blood or marriage. The following are some general guidelines:
Introduction