Section 10: Qualifications of member.

(1) A person shall not be qualified to be chosen or co-opted as a member of the Committee if such person—

(a) has not attained the age of twenty-five years;

(b) is not a citizen of India;

(c) in the case of an elected member, if he is not registered as an elector in the electoral roll for any ward;

(d) is not an Amritdhari Sikh;

(e) being an Amritdhari Sikh, trims or shaves his beard or keshas;

(f) takes alcoholic drinks;

(g) smokes;

(h) is a patit;

(i) is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court;

(j) is an undischarged insolvent;

(k) has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude or has been dismissed from service by Government, Board, Committee or any local authority, on account of moral turpitude;

(l) is a paid servant of any Gurdwara or a local Gurdwara;

(m) not being a blind person cannot [read and write] Gurmukhi.

Explanation.—A person shall be deemed to—

(i) be able to read Gurmukhi if he is able to recite Sri Guru Granth Sahib, in Gurmukhi, and

(ii) write Gurmukhi if he fills his nomination paper for election to the Committee in Gurmukhi in his own handwriting.

If any question arises whether a candidate is or is not able to read and write Gurmukhi, the question shall be decided in such manner as may be [prescribed by rules].

(2) If a person sits or votes as a member of the Committee when he knows that he is not qualified for such membership, he shall be liable in respect of each day on which he so sits or votes to a penalty of three hundred rupees which shall be recoverable as an arrear of land revenue