18. Duration of Gram Panchayat and term of office of members of Gram Panchayat.
(1)Every Gram Panchayat unless sooner dissolved shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer.(2)No amendment of any law for the time being in force shall have the effect of causing dissolution of a Gram Panchayat, which is functioning immediately before such amendment, till the expiration of its duration specified in sub-section (1).(3)The General Election to constitute a Gram Panchayat shall be completed.(a)before the expiration of its duration specified in sub-section (1) ; and(b)in case of dissolution, before the expiration of a period of six months from the date of its dissolution :Provided that where the remainder of the period for which the dissolved Gram Panchayat would have continued is less than six months, it shall not be necessary to hold any election under this clause for constituting the Gram Panchayat for such period.(4)The term of office of the members of a Gram Panchayat elected at a General Election specified under sub-section (1) of Section 17 shall be deemed to commence with effect from the date of its first meeting at which a quorum is present :Provided that if the first meeting of the newly constituted Gram Panchayat cannot be held within three months of the constitution of the Gram Panchayat, the State Government may by order terminate the term of office of the members of the Gram Panchayat continuing in office under this sub-section and appoint any authority or person to exercise and perform, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order, powers and functions of the Gram Panchayat under this Act until the date on which such first meeting of the newly constituted Gram Panchayat is held.
