Gazetted Officer (India)

Gazetted Officers are executive/managerial level ranked public servants in India.  Authority for a gazetted officer to issue an official stamp comes from the President of India or the Governors of States.  To that effect, they are de jure representatives and delegates of the Indian State and the President.  If a person's name is published in the Gazette of India or any State Government Gazette, he/she is called Gazetted. 

The Gazette of India and State Gazettes are official Government publications, which publish the appointments or promotions of certain government officials.  An officer or public servant, who is appointed under the seal of the Governor at State level or by the President of India at the national level (and in the Union Territories), requires being listed in the Indian Gazette or State Government Gazette and is considered to be a Gazetted Officer. 
Many are honorary Justices of the Peace and have the same standing as some of the Magistrates.  Such officers, among other functions, have the power to verify the documents for academic, immigration and other purposes. 

Ranks
Military ranks do not fall under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1965.  The Civil posts under Union of India have been classified as Group A, B and C. The military ranks does not fall under CCS (CCA) Rules 1965. 

The Central Government of India or any State Government classifies public employees into Group A (Gazetted/Executive), Group B (Gazetted), Group B (Non-Gazetted), Group C and Group D. Earlier classification was Class I (Gazetted), II (Gazetted), II (Non-Gazetted), III and IV.  Class I or Group A is the highest rank class and the Class IV or Group D is the least.  The Government of India has plans to merge Group D into Group C. Class I and II (Gazetted) belong to the class of officers whose transfers, appointments, promotions and superannuation are published on a yearly basis in the official gazette of State or Union Government.  Defence Personnel are categorised as Commissioned Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks. 

 Class I or Group A (Gazetted) 
These officials belong to the managerial or highest class of government servants who are placed in Level 10 and above in Civilian Pay matrices, Previously in the pay band 3 with 5400 grade pay and above in 6th CPC and Level 10 and 9 above in Pay Matrix in 7th CPC pay structure.  However, Pay structure (Grade Pay or Level) is not the sole criteria and many though drawing pay in above pay structure due to financial upgradation under MACP Scheme, etc. ,  may not be holding class I rank. 

Examples - Magistrate & above in Judicial Service, Officers of the All India Services i.e. IAS, IPS, IFoS, Officers of 61 Central Group A Civil Services including IFS, IA&AS, IRS, IRTS, Assistant Secretaries / Under Secretaries /Dy. Directors/Dy. Secretaries/Jt. Directors/Directors, etc.  in Secretariat, Geologist/Director/Director General(DG)/DDG/ADG and Geo scientists from Central Geological Services (Geological Survey of India, GSI), scientists of ISRO (Technical Officers of ISRO), DRDO, BARC, DAE, AERB also fall under this category.  Central Secretariat Service (abbreviated as CSS) is the administrative civil service under Group A of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India.  They are governed by Central Secretariat Service Rules of 1962, which has been issued under the powers of Article 309 of the Constitution of India.  Assistant Professor and above in Central, State or in an Autonomous University, State governments also appoints certain category officers under Group A Services in state civil services.  However officials of PSUs/Autonomous bodies, etc.  though in above pay structure, are not classified as Group A (Gazetted) as their names are not notified in the Gazette of the Government. 

 Class II or Group B (Gazetted) 
Examples - DANIPS DANICS, Puducherry Civil Service, Puducherry Police Service, Section officers of AFHQ Civil Services and Central Secretariat Services, Chief Pharmacists ,Income Tax officers, Superintendents of GST and Customs, Asst.  Audit/Accounts Officers of Indian Audit & Accounts Department,Indian P&T Accts & fin Services, JCOs in Armed Forces, Principal/Headmaster of High School, Officers in State Civil Services etc. 

 Class II or Group B (Non-Gazetted) 
Examples - Assistant Section Officers in various ministries, Senior Pharmacists various diffrenent Health Departments Junior Engineers in different departments of GoI and State govts, Customs / GST Inspectors etc. 

 Class III or Group C  
Public servants in non-supervisory roles. 
Examples - Naib Tehsildar, Pharmacists, Head clerks / Section heads, Police Head Constables, Typists, Stenographers, Tax Assistants, Telephone operators,TTEs, Junior Engineers, Sr.cSection Engineers on Railways, Income Tax Inspectors, etc. 

 Class IV or Group D The category since stands upgraded to Group C lowest pay scale of PB1 Grade Pay Rs.1800 in 6th CPC pay structure en masse on account of implementation of recommendations of 6th CPC, though continuing to largely perform their erstwhile manual functions.  Their recruitment qualification also stands upgraded to Matric or ITI.  In 7th CPC pay structure they are in Level 1 in Pay Matrix.  
They are generally Manual workers (skilled or semi-skilled). 
Examples - Peons, Sweepers, Multi Tasking Staff (MTS), Trackmen Grade IV on Railways, etc. 

Who can certify documents
Attestation of copies of original documents: Group A and B (Gazetted) Commissioned officers of Indian Armed Forces and public servants. 
Character certificate, Police records verification: Commissioned officers of Indian Armed Forces, Group A Officers. 
Citizenship certification: Group A officers, certification is limited to very few officials such as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, etc. 
Verification for issue of Passport: It can be done by the Group 'A' officers of the rank of Under Secretary/Dy. Director (Grade Pay 6600/Level 11) and above. 

Non-Gazetted
Officers falling under the category of class III and IV are not gazetted.  They do not have the personal authority to issue an official stamp on behalf of the Government.  Further, Employees serving in Nationalized Banks and PSUs are not gazetted but they can attest financial documents. 

Income tax department officer, 
Inspector of income tax, group B officer. 

Any officer of notary or Nagar Sevak or SEO is not included in Gazetted Officer

References

External links
 

Category:Titles
Category:Civil Services of India
Category:Indian government officials