3 in the manner specified in sub-rule (1) of the rule 12. The roll, so published, shall be final.
(2) The Electoral Registration Officer shall make a complete copy of the roll available for inspection and display the notice in Form – 3 at his office.
(3) Subject to such general or special directions as may be given by the Commission, the Electoral Registration Officer shall supply, free of cost, two copies of the roll, as finally published, to every political party for which a symbol has been exclusively reserved by the Commission.
16. Identity Cards for Electors : (1) The Commission may, with a view to preventing impersonation of electors and facilitating their identification at the time of poll, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that the provision of this rule shall apply to the territorial area of any Panchayat or to any ward or part thereof as may be specified in the Notification.
(2) The Identity Card issued under rule 28 of the Representation of Electors Rules, 1960 shall be deemed to be the identity cards for the purpose of this rule.
17. Custody and Preservation of Rolls and connected papers : (1) After the roll for a Panchayat has been finally published, the following papers shall be kept in the office of the Electoral Registration Officer or at such place as the Director of Panchayats Elections may, by order specify, until the expiration of one year after the completion of the next revisions of that roll :
(a) A complete copy of the roll ; and
(b) Papers relating to claims and objection.
(2) One complete copy of the roll duly authenticated by the Electoral Registration Officer shall also be kept in such place as the Director of Panchayats Elections may specify, as permanent record.
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18. Inspection of Electoral Rolls and connected papers :
Every person shall have the right to inspect the election papers referred to in rule 17 and to get attested copies thereof on payment of such fees as may be fixed by the Director of Panchayats Elections.
19. Disposal of Electoral Rolls and connected papers : (1) The papers referred to in rule 17 shall, on the expiry of the period specified therein and subject to such general or special direction, if any, as may be given by the Commission in this behalf, be disposed of in such manner as the Director of Panchayats Elections may direct.
(2) Copies of the electoral roll for any Panchayat in excess of the number required for deposit under rule 17 and for any other public purpose shall be disposed of at such time and in such manner as the Commission may direct and until such disposal, shall be made available for sale to the public:
Provided that the fees realized under rule 18 and under this rule shall be deposited in the Fund of the Panchayat concerned.
CHAPTER – V ELECTIONS OF THE MEMBER OF PANCHAYATS AND SARPANCH OF GRAM PANCHAYAT
20. Superintendence, direction and control of elections : (1) The conduct of elections to the Panchayats under these rules shall be under the general superintendence, direction and control of the Commission.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-rule (1), the Commission may, if it considers expedient, by order, direct that such of the powers, duties and functions of any authority connected with the work of conducting elections under these rules, as may be specified by it in the order, shall be exercised or discharged, subject to such restrictions and conditions, by such officer or person as may be specified in the order.
CHAPTER - VI QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP / SARPANCH OF GRAM PANCHAYAT
21. Disqualification for Membership :
A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being a member of a Gram Panchayat/District Panchayat or to continue as such, if he/she-
(a) has failed to pay arrears for more than one year or any tax, fee or any sum due to the Gram Panchayat:
Provided that such disqualification shall be operative only if notice for such arrears has been duly served upon such person and such arrears have been displayed on the public notice board of the Gram Panchayat not less than three months prior to the date of election; or SERIES - I (2015) THE D.&N.H. EXTRAORDINARY GAZETTE (Serial No. 50) Page -8
(b) holds any salaried office or office of profit under the Gram Sabha or the Gram Panchayat or District Panchayat; or
(c) has directly or indirectly or through immediate family member any share or monetary interest in any work done by or to the Gram Panchayat or in any contract of employment with or under or by or on behalf of, the Gram Panchayat or District Panchayat; or
(d) is a Government servant or in service of any municipality or Gram Panchayat or District Panchayat; or
(e) has been dismissed from the service of the Government or of municipality or District Panchayat or Gram Panchayat for misconduct within five years prior to the date of poll; or
(f) has not attained the age of twenty-one years; or
(g) has been ordered to give security for good behavior under section 109 or section 110 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; or
(h) has been convicted by a criminal court of any offence involving violence or moral turpitude and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than three months and five years have not elapsed since his release; or
(i) is without permission of the Gram Panchayat or District Panchayat, absent from three consecutive meetings; or
(j) is of an unsound mind and has been so declared by a competent court; or
(k) has been declared by a competent court to be an insolvent; or
(l) has been disqualified under any law for the time being in force by competent court for adopting a corrupt practice or for commission of an election offence at an election during the period of such disqualification; or
(m) subject to clause (f),is so disqualified by or under any law for the time being in force for the purpose of election to the House of the People; or
(n) is not a citizen of India.
(2) A person shall be disqualified for being a member of the Gram Panchayat or District Panchayat or Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat if he is so disqualified under the Fifth Schedule of the Regulation.
CHAPTER - VII NOTIFICATION OF GENERAL ELECTIONS
22. General Election : A general Election shall be held in accordance with the provisions of this chapter for the purpose of constituting a new Panchayat and on the expiration of its duration or on its dissolution.
23. Notification for a general election : The Administrator shall, by one or more notifications published in the Official Gazette on such date or dates as may be recommended by the Commission, call upon all the concerned wards to elect members in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation and of the rules and orders made thereunder :
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Provided that where a general election is held otherwise than on the dissolution of the existing Panchayat, no such notification shall be issued at any time earlier than six months prior to the date on which the duration of the Panchayat would expire under the provision of section 19 or section 64 of the Regulation as applicable as case may be.
CHAPTER - VIII ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY FOR THE CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
24. Returning Officers : (1) For each ward, the Commission shall in consultation with the Administrator, designate or nominate a Returning Officer who shall be an officer of the Administration or of a local authority:
Provided that nothing in these rules shall prevent the Commission from designating or nominating the same person to be the Returning Officer for more than one ward.
(2) It shall be the general duty of the Returning Officer at any election to do all such acts and things as may be necessary for effectively conducting the election in the manner provided by the Regulation or rules or order made thereunder.
25. Assistant Returning Officer : (1) the Commission may appoint one or more persons as Assistant Returning Officer to assist any Returning Officer in the performance of the functions:
Provided that every such person shall be an officer of the Administration or of a local authority.
(2) Every assistant Returning Officer shall, subject to the control of the Returning Officer, be competent to perform all or any of the functions of the Returning Officer :
Provided that, Assistant Returning Officer shall not perform any of the functions of the Returning Officer which relates to the scrutiny of nominations unless the Returning Officer is unavoidably prevented from performing the said function.
26. Polling stations : The Returning Officer shall, with previous approval of the Commission, provide a sufficient number of polling stations for every ward and shall publish, in such manner as the Commission may direct, a list showing the polling stations so provided and the polling area of group of voters for which they have respectively been provided.
27. Presiding officers and polling officers : (1) The Returning Officer shall appoint a presiding officer for each polling station and such polling officer or officers as he thinks necessary, who shall be the officers of the Administration or of local authorities but he shall not appoint any person who has been employed by, or on behalf of, or has been otherwise working for, a candidate in or about the election:
Provided that if a polling officer is absent from the polling station, the presiding officer may appoint any person who is present at the polling station other than a person who has been employed by, or on behalf of, or has been otherwise working for, a candidate in or about the election, to be the polling officer during the absence of such officer, and in case of any such appointment, he shall inform the Returning Officer accordingly;
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Provided further that nothing in this sub-rule shall prevent the Returning Officer from appointing the same person to be Presiding officer for more than one polling station in the same premises.
(2) A polling officer shall, if so directed by the presiding officer, perform all or any of the functions of a presiding officer under these rules or orders made there under.
(3) If the presiding officer is absent from the polling station, his functions shall be performed by such polling officer as has been previously authorized by the Returning Officer to perform such functions during any such absence.
(4) It shall be the general duty of the presiding officer at a polling station to keep order thereat and to see that the poll is fairly taken.
(5) It shall be the general duty of the polling officer(s) at a polling station to assist the presiding officer for such station in the performance of his functions.
CHAPTER - IX POLITICAL PARTIES
28. Reservation of symbol for political parties :
(1) For the purpose of election in any ward, the Political Parties recognized as “National Party” or “State Party” by the Election Commission of India under the Election Symbols ( Reservation and Allotment ) Order, 1968 shall be deemed to be the recognized Political Parties in the Union Territory and the candidates set up by those parties shall choose, and shall be allotted, the symbol reserved for that party and no other symbol.
(2) The choice of symbols and allotment thereof shall, as far as practicable, be governed by the Election Symbols ( Reservation and Allotment ) Order, 1968.
CHAPTER - X NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES