(1) Seats shall be reserved for the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every District Panchayat and 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 District Panchayat as the population of the Scheduled Castes in that District Panchayat area or of the Scheduled Tribes in that District Panchayat area bears to the total population of that area.
Provided that for the first election for the District Panchayat to be held immediately after the commencement of this Act, the provisional population figures of the District Panchayat area as published in relation to 1991 census, shall be deemed to be the population of the District Panchayat area.
(2) Seats shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes from among the seats reserved for the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes which shall not be less than one-third of the total number of seats reserved for the persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
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(3) Seats shall be reserved for women in the District Panchayat and number of seats reserved for women shall not be less than one-third 2[including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes] of the total number of seats in the District Panchayat:
Provided that such seats reserved for women shall be allotted by rotation to different territorial wards in such manner as the Government may, by notification, direct.
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(4) The reservation of seats under sub-sections (1) and (2) shall cease to have effect on the expiration of the period specified in Article 334 of the Constitution.
(5) Reservation of seats under this section, Section 11 and Section 20, shall be made by the Government or by any officer authorized by the Government in this behalf.
(6) While determining the number of seats in Village Panchayats, Panchayat Union Councils and District Panchayats under this section, Section 11, and Section 20 for the purpose of reservation, any fraction thereof shall be disregarded.
1. The sub-sections (2-A) and (2-B) were inserted by Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1995 and subsequently omitted by Tamil Nadu Act 15 of 1996.
2. Substituted for the words “(including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the backward classes of citizens)” by Tamil Nadu Act 15 of 1996.
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