(1)A Gram Panchayat shall at all reasonable times permit any office or other person whom the Director or Chief Executive Officer, as the case may be, may authorise in this behalf to have access to all its books, proceedings and records and to enter on and inspect any immovable property occupied by, or any work in progress under the orders of or any institution controlled by it.(2)Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the Block Development and Panchayat Officer or the Social Education and Panchayat Officer may for the purpose of this Act, require in writing, a Gram Panchayat to produce before him any book, proceedings or record and may inspect and examine the same and if he has reasonable grounds that anything necessary for the purpose of an investigation may be found in any book proceedings or record, he may seize such book, proceedings or record. The officer seizing the book, proceedings or record shall forthwith issue a receipt for the same.(3)Nothing contained in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall affect the right of parties to any proceedings pending before a Gram Panchayat to inspect the records of those proceedings, in the manner prescribed.
