Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a crucial plant hormone, regulates diverse physiological processes. This study aimed to isolate and characterize IAA-producing bacteria from the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) rhizosphere and evaluate their effects on plant growth. From 54 rhizosphere samples, 118 bacteria were isolated and screened for IAA production using a Salkowski colorimetric assay, and Bergey’s manual was used for biochemical identification. Among them, 27 isolates produced IAA, with eight high-producers selected. Morphological and biochemical identification classified six isolates as Pseudomonas and two as Bacillus. Optimal conditions for indole-3-acetic acid production were observed at 500 µg/ml tryptophan, 35 °C, and pH 7.0. A 48-hour incubation was ideal, except for GAC-34 and GAC-73, which required 72 hours. All isolates achieved optimal IAA levels with tryptone and sucrose as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. Selected isolates showed nitrogen fixation ability, and six isolates exhibited phosphate solubilization. PCR confirmed the amplification of nifH (300 bp), nifK (360 bp), and ipdC (1170 bp) genes. Greenhouse experiments demonstrated that isolates significantly enhanced chickpea growth parameters (p<0.001 and P≤0.05) compared to the control group. These findings suggest that these IAA-producing bacteria have the potential to be used as biofertilizers, although further molecular identification and field studies are required.