Section 71 in The M.P. Municipal Corporation Act, 1956
71. Corporation may require Commissioner to produce documents.
(1)The Corporation may at any time require the Commissioner-(a)to produce any record, correspondence, plan or other document which is in his possession or under his control as Commissioner, or which is recorded or filed in his office or in the office of any municipal officer or servant subordinate to him;(b)to furnish any return, plan, estimate, statement, account or statistics concerning or connected with any matter appertaining to the administration of this Act or the municipal government of the city;(c)to furnish a report by himself, or to obtain from the head of the department subordinate to him and furnish, with his own remarks thereon a report upon any subject concerning or connected with administration of this Act or the municipal government of the city.(2)Except as provided in sub-section (3) every such requisition shall he complied with by the Commissioner without unreasonable delay and it shall he incumbent on every municipal officer and servant to obey any order made by the Commissioner in pursuance of any such requisition.(3)If on any such requisition being made, the Commissioner shall declare that immediate compliance therewith would be prejudicial to the interests of the Corporation or of the public, it shall be lawful for him to defer such compliance until a time not later than the second ordinary meeting of the Corporation after he shall have declared as aforesaid, If at such meeting, or any meeting subsequent thereto, the Corporation shall repeat the requisition and it shall then still appear to the Commissioner inexpedient to comply therewith, he shall make a declaration to that effect. Thereupon it shall he lawful for the Corporation to form a committee consisting of the Mayor, one councillor chosen by the Corporation and one member elected by the [Mayor-in-Council] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 20 of 1998.] from among its members which shall engage to keep secret the existence and purport of all such document and matters as may be disclosed to them except as provided in sub-section (3). The Commissioner shall be bound to make known and disclose to the said committee all writings and matter within his knowledge or under his control or otherwise available to him and included within the said requisition. The said Committee having taken cognizance of the information, writings and matters so laid before it shall determine by a majority of votes, whether or not the whole or any part, and which part if any of such matters ought to be disclosed to the Corporation or kept secret for a defined time. Such decision shall be conclusive and shall he reported to the Corporation at the next ordinary meeting thereof. At such meeting the Commissioner when called on to do so by the Corporation, shall produce any document and make any report or statement that may be required in order to give effect to the decision of the Committee.
