19. Disqualifications for being an Office-bearer of a Gram Panchayat.
No person shall be qualified for an Office-bearer of the Gram Panchayat-(A)Who is not a citizen of India;(B)Either before commencement of this Act or thereafter-(1)Who has been convicted of any offence under the Civil Services Conduct Rules, (Civil Services Conduct Act) in force for the time being or under any law relating to use, consumption or sale of intoxicants or under any law in force for the time being in any part of the state unless a period of five years or such a lesser period as the State Government may determine in a particular case, has expired since the date of his conviction;(2)Who is a person of unsound mind and has been so declared by a competent court;(3)Who is a declared bankrupt;(4)Who holds a post of gain under any Panchayat or is in service in any other local authority or in any Cooperative Society or in the State Government or the Central Government or in State Government or Central Government's Public Sector undertaking;(5)Who has been removed from a post in service under the State Government or the Central Government or any Panchayat, any other authority or any Cooperative Society or any public sector undertaking of the Central or State Government on the ground of corruption or dereliction of duty;(6)Who holds any share or interest directly or indirectly in any contract entered into with or by the Panchayat or on behalf of that;Provided that no person shall be deemed disqualified under clause (6) of sub-section (B) only because -(a)He has a share in a Joint Stock Company, he has any share or interest in any such organisation or cooperative society registered under the State's Society Registration Act in force for the time being which will enter into a contract with the Panchayat or which will be employed by or on behalf of the Panchayat; or(b)He has a share or interest in any such newspaper in which any advertisement regarding activities of the Panchayat is given; or(c)He holds a debenture by or on behalf of the Panchayat or is otherwise concerned with any loan taken by or on behalf of the Panchayat;(7)Who has been declared disqualified by or under any law, for the time being in force, for the purposes of election of the State Legislature;Provided that if a person has attained 21 years of age, he shall not be declared disqualified on the ground that his age is less than 25 years;(8)Who has, by any Criminal Court in India or abroad, been sentenced to imprisonment for a period exceeding six months or to penalty for an offence other than a political offence, been ordered to produce security against bad behaviour under section 109 or 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (Act 2 of 1974) and the order has not been reversed subsequently.
