Section 17: Disqualification of candidates or members

(1) A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as or for being a Chairman or President or a Member of any managing committee, if- (a) he is a village servant or officer or servant of the Government of India or of any State Government or of any local authority or an employee of any institution receiving aid from the funds of the Government. (b) he has been convicted by a criminal court for any offence involving moral turpitude committed under any law for the time being in force; (c) he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court. Changes in farmers organisation Disqualification of candidates or members (d) he is an applicant to be adjudicated as an insolvent or an undischarged insolvent; or (e) he is a defaulter of land revenue or water charges or fees payable either to the Government or to the farmers organisation; (f) he is interested in a subsisting contract made with, or any work being done in the area of the concerned farmers organisation, for the Village Panchayat or Panchayat Union or Town Panchayat or Municipality or Municipal Corporation or State or Central Government or farmers organisation; Provided that a person shall not be deemed to have any interest in such contract or work by reason only of his having share or interest in- (i) a company as a mere share holder, but not as a director; or (ii) any lease, sale or purchase of immovable property or any agreement for the same; or (iii) any agreement for the loan of money or any security for the payment of money only; or (iv) any newspaper, in which any advertisement relating to the affairs of the farmers organisation is inserted. Explanation:- For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that where a contract is fully performed it shall not be deemed to be subsisting merely on the ground that the Village Panchayat, Panchayat Union, Town Panchayat, Municipality, Municipal Corporation, Farmers Organisation, State or Central Government, as the case may be, has not performed its part of the contractual obligations. (2) A Chairman or President or Member of any managing committee of a farmers organisation shall also become disqualified to continue in office and shall cease to hold office forthwith, if he- (a) is convicted in a criminal case involving moral turpitude; or (b) absents for three consecutive meetings without reasonable cause; Provided that such disqualification under item (b) shall not apply in the case of women who are in an advanced stage of pregnancy and for a period of three months after delivery. (3) A member of the Water User Association shall cease to be a member or a Chairman or a President, as the case may be, of a managing committee and shall become disqualified to continue in office, if he ceases to be a water user.