15. Oath of allegiance to be taken by Councillors.
(1)Notwithstanding anything contained in the Indian Oaths Act, 1873, every person who is elected as a Councillor shall, before taking his seat, make and subscribe an oath or affirmation of his allegiance to the Constitution of India before,-(a)in the case of a Municipal Corporation, the Secretary to the State Government in-charge of municipal affairs or his nominee not below the rank of a Deputy Secretary to the State Government, and(b)in the case of a Municipal Council or a Nagar Panchayat, the District Magistrate or the Magistrate-in charge of the sub-division in which the municipal area is situated or an officer of the State Government authorized in this behalf by the District Magistrate.(2)The oath shall be in the following form:-"I having been elected a Councillor of the municipal area of............do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.".(3)Any person who, having been elected a Councillor, fails to make and subscribe, within three months of the date on which his term of office commences, the oath or affirmation under sub-section (1), shall cease to hold his office and his seat shall be deemed to have become vacant:Provided that the State Government may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, extend in each case or class of cases the period of three months as aforesaid by such period as it thinks fit.
