12. Examination of application.- (1) *[When a request for examination has been made in respect of an application for a patent in the prescribed manner **[under sub-section (1) or sub-section (3) of section 11B, the application and specification and other documents related thereto shall be referred at the earliest by the Controller] to an examiner for making a report to him in respect of the following matters, namely:- (a) whether the application and the *[specification and other documents relating thereto] are in accordance with the requirements of this Act and of any rules made thereunder ;
(b) whether there is any lawful ground of objection to the grant of the patent under this Act in pursuance of the application,
(c) the result of investigations made under section 13; and
(d) any other matter which may be prescribed.
(2) The examiner to whom the application and the *[specification and other documents relating thereto] are referred under sub-section (1) shall ordinarily make the report to the Controller within **[such period as may be prescribed].
*[Substituted by Patents (Amendment) Act, 2002, section 10]
**[Substituted by Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005, section 12]
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