(i) Every Gram Sabha shall^hold general meetings in cccfi financial year, one before the harvesting of the crop and the other after the harvesting of the crop:
Provided that the Pradhan shall, upon a requisition in writing by not less than one-fifth of the numbers of members of the Gram Sabha, within thirty days of the receipt of such requisition, call an extra-ordinary general meeting of the Gram Sabha.
Meetings of Gram Sabha.
(2) The Pradhan or in his absence, the Up-Pradhun or in the absence of both, any person chosen by the Gram Sabha shall preside at such meeting.
(3) The notice of th? time and place of all meetings of the Gram Sabha shall be given in the prescribed manner.
4 THE GAZETTE OF JNDfA EXTRAORDINARY [PART II— Quorum.
7. The quorum for a meeting of the Gram Sabha shall be one-tenth of it total membership.
CHAPTER TTT THE PANCHAYATS AND THEIR CONSTITUTION Constitution ot Village (Dweep) Panchayats and District Pan.
chayat.
8. ( J ) With (.ffoct from such date as the Administrator may, by notification appoint in tin-, behalf, there shall be constituted for the purpose of this Regulation, a Village (Dwc-p) PanchayaL on cicli of the Island specified in the First Schedule and a di>tn<-i paucluyat foi a Union territory.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Regulation, a Panchayat shall consist of such number of seats to be filled by persons chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in tli-j Panchay.tt aroa, as may be notified, from time to time, by the Administrator:
Provided that a Village (Dweep) Panchayal having a population indicated in column U) of the Table below shall consist of the number of scats indicated against the respective entry in column (j) thereof:— TAW E Serial Numhci (!)
(/) (»> (Hi) O)
(v) Population r
(2) Where the population is more than ten thousand.
Where the population is not lesi than six thousand but not more thjn ten thousand.
Where the population is not less than three thousand five huudied but mt ran re th-n si it thousand.
Where the population is not loss than two thousand but not more than three thousand five hundred.
Where the population is lesi than two thousand.
Number of seats
(3) One seat for one thousand of population nr part thereof, Ten seata Eight seats Six seats Three seats
Provided that the number of seats to be filled by persons chosen by direct election in the district Panchayat shall be determined at the rate of one seat for every two thousand and five hundred of population of a Village (Dweep) Panchayat and if the remainder is more than one thousand two hundred and fifty then the number of such seats shall be measured by one:
Provided further that atleast one seat shall be allotted to a Village (Dweep) Panchayat.
(3) The following persons shall be represented in the district Panchayat, namely:—
(e) The Pradhans of the Village (Dweep) Panchayats;
(b) The member of the House of the people representing the Union territory.
who shall have the right to vote at the meetings of the district Panchayat.
(4) Where the Administrator is satisfied that any Island, other than the Islands referred to in sub-section (1), has become inhabited with people, he may, by SEC 1J t l iE GAZETTE OF INDIA EXTkAORDINARY 5 notification, direct that such Island shall form part of the Island nearer to it as may be specified in the said notification (hereinafter in this sub-section referred to as the notified Island, and thereupon the provisions of this Regulation shall apply to that Island in the same manner and subject to the same condition as they may apply to the notified Island:
Provided that the readjustment as afore said shall not affect the representation in any Village (Dweep) Paiichayal or the district Panchayat, as the case may be, until the division of the Village ( Dweep) Paiichayat area is made by the Election Commission afresh into territorial constituencies under this Regulation.
9. All seats in a Panchayat shall be filled by persons chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the Panchayat area and for this purpose, each Island shall be divided by the Election Commission into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ration between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to that Island shall, as far as practicable be the same through out the Island.
Composition of village (Dweep) Pan, chayats and the District Pun.
chayat.
10. Every Panchayat shall, b'; the name specified by the Administrator in this behalf, be a body corporate having perpetual succession and a common seal and shall, subject to such restrictions and conditions imposed by or under this Regulation, and shall have power to acquire, hold, administer or transfer property, both movable and immovable, and to enter into any contract and shall, by the said name sue or be sued.
Incorporation of Panchayat.
11. A person shall not be qualified to by chosen as a member of a Panchayat unless his name is entered in the electoral roll for any constituency of the Panchayat:
Provided that in the case of seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and Women, no person who is not a member of any of the Scheduled Tribes or is not a women, as the case may be, shall be qualified to be elected to such seat.
Qualiflca.
tion for memb T - ship.
12. A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of a Panchayat, if he—
(a) is not a citizen of India; or
(b) has not attained the age of twenty one years; or
(c) holds any office of profit under the Central Government or any local authority," or
(d) has been dismissed from the service of the Government or any local authority for misconduct unless a period of five years has elapsed from such dismissal; or
(e) has directly or indirectly any share or monetary interest in any work done by or to the Panehayat or any contract or employment with, under or by or on behalf of the Panehayat; or (/) is an undischarged insolvent; or
(g) is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court; or
(h) has been convicted by a criminal court of any offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than six months and five years have not elapsed since his release; or (/) is in arrear for such period as may be prescribed of any tax, fee or other sum due to the Panchayat;
(}) is so disqualified by or under any law for the lime being in force foi the purpose of election to the House of People:
Disqualification for member, ship.
6 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA EXTRAORDINARY [PART i l ^
Provided that no person shall be disqualified on the ground that he is less than twenty-five years of age if he has attained the age of twenty-one years;
(4) is so disqualified by or under any law made by the Parliament.
Reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes and woman.
13. ( J ) Seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes in every Panchayat.
The number of seats so reserved shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that Panchayat as the population of the Scheduled Tribes in that Panchiyat area bears to the total population of that area. The exact number of such seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes shall be determined by the Administrator by Order, to be published in the Official Gazette.
(2) Seats shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Tribes, from among the seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, the number of such seats being determined by the Administrator by Order to be published in the Official Gazette1 which shall be not less than one-third of the total number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
(3) Seats shall be reserved for women, the number of seats being determined by Order to be published in the Official Gazette by the Administrator which shall not be less than the one-third (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat.
(4) Seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes and women under sub-sections (1),
(2) and (3) shall be allotted in a Panchayat by rotation to different constituencies in a Panchayat by the Election Commission in the manner as may be prescribed.
Decision on question as to disqualification.
14. Tf any question arises as to whether a member of a Panchayat has become subject to any disqualification mentioned in section 12. it shall be referred to the Administrator for decision.
and his decision shall be final:
Provided that before giving any decision on any such question, the Administrator shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion:
Provided further that no order shall be made against a person unless he has been given an opportunity to defend himself.
List of voters.