MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras HC recently advised state authorities to adhere to Tamil Nadu Grama Sabha (Quorum and Procedure for Convening and Conducting of Meetings) Rules 1998, while conducting meetings to enable all villagers to participate in them.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala and Justice C Kumarappan gave the advice while disposing of three PIL pleas filed by K Gurunathan, alleging violations in meetings conducted in Pagalavadi in Tiruchy in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
The judges noted from the TN Grama Sabha Rules, 1998 that the meeting should be held in every village panchayat in a public place by issuing notice, by beat of drum or displaying written intimation in panchayat office or other conspicuous public places, not less than a week prior. A copy of the notice and the agenda should be sent to the inspector of the panchayat before a week. The quorum for the meeting is also prescribed in the rules.
“In a grama sabha meeting, every villager is entitled to participate and it has its own importance. So as to enable all the villagers to participate in the meetings, naturally, the procedure required for its conduct is required to be scrupulously followed. We hope and trust that the same would be followed by the authorities in future,” the judges observed.
Though the petitioner sought direction for the re-conduct of the earlier meetings, the judges said the meetings held in 2019, 2021 and 2022 have already taken effect. “Hence, no purpose would be served now by commenting upon the meetings nor is it possible to set the clock back,” they added.