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3.5 Tamil Nadu Panchayat (Interpellation of Chairman of Panchayat Union Council by its Members) Rules, 1999 (G.O. (Ms) No. 60 Rural Development (C4), dated 30th March 1999) In exercise of the powers conferred by caluse (v) of sub-section, (2) of section 242 of the TamilNadu Panchayats Act 1994 (TamilNadu Act 21 of 1994) and in super session of the interpellation of the Chairman by the Members of Panchayat Union Council Rules 1960, the Governor of Tamil Nadu hereby makes the following Rules - RULES
1. Short title - These Rules may be called the TamilNadu Panchayats (Interpellation of Chairman of Panchayat Union Council by the members) Rules 1999.
2. Restriction on questions - No question shall be asked or answered at a meeting of Panchayat Union Council as to any matter not connected with the administration of the Panchayat Union and no question shall be asked except as to matters of fact and the answer shall be confined to a statement of facts. Except as thus provided, any question may be asked by any member of the Panchayat Union Council, subject to the conditions and restrictions specified in these Rules.
3. Intimation about question - A member of a Panchayat Union Council who wishes to ask a question shall intimate his intention in writing to the chairman by giving previous notice of not less than ten days and such notice shall contain a copy of the question he wishes to ask.
4. Admissible questions - In order that a question may be admissible, it must satisfy the following conditions namely :
1. it shall be related to the administration of the Panchayat Union and it shall be based on facts:
2. it shall not relate to any name or statement not strictly necessary to make the question intelligible;
3. If a question contains a statement, the member asking it shall make himself responsible for the accuracy of the statement.
4. It shall be contain arguments, inferences, ironical expressions or defamatory statements.
5. It shall not ask for an expression of opinion or the solution of an abstract legal question or of a hypothetical proposition;
6. It shall not be asked as to the character or conduct of any person except in his official or public capacity.
7. It shall not be of excessive length and
8. a question once fully answered shall not be asked again.
5. Decision as to the questions - The Chairman shall decide on the admissibility of a question and either allow or disallow it before the date fixed for the next meeting for which it may be in time under Rule 3. He may disallow any question, if in his opinion, it is an abuse of the right of questioning or where, in his opinion, it cannot be answered consistently in the public interest, and shall disallow any question which in his opinion, contravenes any of these Rules and in such case, the question shall not be entered in the proceedings of the Panchayat Union Council.
6. Entry of question into the agenda - Questions allowed by the Chairman shall be entered in the agenda and the chairman shall answer every question so entered, if not previously with drawn by the member putting it, in the order in which it stands in the paper, before any business is entered upon at the meeting. The answer must be confined to a statement of facts only:
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Provided that the chairman may at his discretion, on the ground of public interest, answer a question on the agenda, even though the question may have been with drawn.
7. Supplementary questions - Any member may put a supplementary question for the purpose of further elucidating any matter of fact regarding which an answer has been given:
Provided that the chairman shall disallow any supplementary question if, in his opinion, if infringes the Rules as to the subject matter of questions does not confirm to the conditions specified under Rule 4.
Provided further that he may decline to answer a supplementary question without notice, in which case it may be put only in the form of a fresh question at a subsequent meeting of the Panchayat Union Council.
8. Ban of discussion on decided questions - No discussion shall be permitted in respect of any question or of any answer given to a question asked under these Rules.
9. Minutes - The question asked and the answer given to it shall be entered in the minutes of the Panchayat Union Council.
RAMESH CHANDRA PANDA SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT