Section 8 in Andhra Pradesh Farmers Management of Irrigation Systems Rules
8. Scrutiny of nomination papers.
(1)On the date appointed for scrutiny of the nominations, the candidates, the proposer of each candidate and one other person duly authorised in writing by each candidate, may attend at such time and place as may be specified under Rule 7. No other person shall be entitled to be present. The Election Officer may, however, admit such other persons as he thinks fit to assist him. The Election Officer shall give such persons all reasonable facilities to examine the nomination papers of all the candidates, which have been received as aforesaid.(2)The Election Officer shall then examine the nomination papers and shall decide on all objections which may be made at the time of nomination and may either on such objection or on his own motion after summary enquiry as he thinks necessary, reject any nomination on any of the following grounds; namely:-(i)that the candidate is ineligible for election as a Member or President of Water Users' Association under Section 14 of the Act; or(ii)that the name of the candidate or of his proposer or both is or are not registered in the voters List; or(iii)that the candidate or his proposer has failed to comply with any of the provisions of Rule 4 or 6; or(iv)that the signature or the thumb impression of the candidate or the proposer in the nomination paper is not genuine:Provided that the nomination of a candidate shall not be rejected merely on the ground of an incorrect description of his name or of the name of his proposer, or of any other particulars relating to the candidate or his proposer as entered in the electoral roll, if the identity of the candidate or proposer, as the case may be, is otherwise established beyond reasonable doubt.(3)The Election Officer shall endorse on each nomination paper, his decision, accepting or rejecting the same and, if the nomination paper is rejected, he shall record in writing brief statement of his reasons for such rejection. The scrutiny shall as far as practicable, be completed on the date appointed in this behalf under Rule 3 and no adjournment of the proceedings shall ordinarily he permissible except to provide an opportunity to a candidate to rebut any contention raised against his candidature.(4)For the purpose of this rule, a certified copy of an entry in the Voters List in force of a Water Users' Association shall be conclusive evidence of the fact that the person referred to in that entry is an elector for that Water Users' Association unless it is proved that he is subject to any disqualification mentioned in the Act.(5)Immediately after all the nomination papers have been scrutinized and the decision, accepting or rejecting the same have been recorded, the Election Officer shall prepare a list of validly nominated candidates, that is to say, candidates whose nominations have been found valid and affix it to the notice board of his office in Form 5(2).
