Odisha
December 25, 2021

The Odisha government has proclaimed an Ordinance ‘The Odisha Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021’ to amend ‘The Odisha Grama Panchayats Act, 1964’, ‘The Odisha Panchayat Samiti Act, 1959’ and ‘The Odisha Zilla Parisad Act, 1991’.
Law Department in this regard has published a notification which was published by the ‘The Odisha Gazette’ on Friday, the 24th of December, 2021.
As per the Ordinance, candidates contesting for the posts of Sarpanch, Samiti members, Zilla Parishad members have to mandatorily furnish an affidavit containing particulars relating to his/her criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities, and educational qualification at the time of filing of nomination.
As per the Ordinance, if a candidate who himself/herself or through his/her proposer, with intent to be elected in an election gives false information which he/she knows or has reason to believe to be false or conceals any information in his/her nomination paper or in his affidavit which is required to be delivered shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or both.
It is pertinent to mention here that this rule was mandatory for candidates contesting Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls. Now it has been made mandatory at the grassroots level-for candidates contesting for posts in Panchayati Raj Institutions.
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