The Hindu : Panchayat chief gets independent powers, thanks to HC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 01, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Panchayat chief gets independent powers, thanks to HC

By A. Subramani

CHENNAI MAY 31. Thanks to Madras High Court intervention, the State Government has empowered a panchayat president to function independently and discharge his administrative responsibilities without the panchayat board nod.

S.V. Thirumalai, president, Chenneerkuppam panchayat near Poonamallee in Tiruvallur district, faced a revolt of sorts with eight of the nine ward members not cooperating with him for over 15 months. Since the vice-president, M. Shanthi, refused to second-sign the cheques, the president could not sanction funds for even routine development works.

On various occasions since November 2001, the eight rival members (four of them belonging to the AIADMK) sent several representations to the District Collector, the Block Development Officer and the Chief Minister's Office.

Alleging that none of the officials fairly considered their complaints regarding the alleged irregularities in allotting houses to beneficiaries and collecting excess levy from residents, the members filed a common petition in the High Court seeking to restrain Mr. Thirumalai from functioning as the president and removing him from the post.

Justice P.K. Misra disposed of the petition with a direction that the Collector should consider the representations in accordance with law, and asked him to hear the submissions of Mr. Thirumalai as well.

Pursuant to the order, a report was submitted by the Collector stating that out of the 27 charges levelled against the panchayat president, 25 were false while the two others were of a ``frivolous nature requiring no action.'' Stating that the ward members' non-cooperation stir for over 15 months was motivated, the Collector who was also the Inspector of Panchayats in the district, permitted Mr. Thirumalai to discharge his administrative responsibilities, including signing of cheques, independent of the panchayat board for the next six months.

The report was also published in the State gazette on May 28, it was submitted.

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Panchayat chief gets independent powers, thanks to HC