Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
Interpellation.—(1) A councillor may, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), ask the Municipal Commissioner or the Chief Officer questions on any matter relating to the 64 municipal government or the administration of this Act or the functions of any of the municipal authorities. (2) The right to ask a question shall be governed by the following conditions, namely:— (a) not less than ten clear days’ notice in writing specifying the question shall be given to the Municipal Commissioner or the Chief Officer; (b) not more than two questions shall be sent by any councillor for being answered at any ordinary meeting; (c) no question shall,— (i) bring in any name or statement not strictly necessary to make the question intelligible, (ii) contain arguments, ironical expressions, imputations, epithets or defamatory statements, (iii) ask for an expression of opinion or the solution of a hypothetical proposition, (iv) ask as to the character or conduct of any person except in his official or public capacity, (v) relate to a matter which is not primarily the concern of the municipal council or of any of the municipal authorities, (vi) make or imply a charge of a personal character, (vii) raise questions of policy too large to be dealt with within the limits of an answer to a question, (viii) repeat in substance questions already answered or to which an answer has been refused, (ix) ask for information on trivial matters, (x) ordinarily ask for information on matters of past history, (xi) ask for information set forth in accessible documents or in ordinary works of reference, (xii) raise matters under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the municipal council, or (xiii) ask for any information on matter which is under adjudication by a court of law. (3) The presiding authority shall disallow any question which is, in his opinion, in contravention of the provisions of sub-section (2). (4) If any doubt arises whether any question is or is not in contravention of the provisions of sub-section (2), the presiding authority shall decide the point and his decision shall be final. (5) The Municipal Commissioner or the Chief Officer shall not be bound to answer a question if it asks for information which has been communicated to him in confidence or if in the opinion of the presiding authority it cannot be answered without prejudice to public interest or the interest of the municipal council. (6) Unless otherwise directed by the presiding authority or the presiding officer of the meeting, every question shall be answered by the Municipal Commissioner or the Chief Officer at a meeting of the municipal council. (7) Written answer to admitted questions shall as far as possible be given to the councillors one hour before the meeting. (8) Questions not answered at any meeting for want of time or otherwise shall lapse. 1[63. Standing Committee.—(1) In every municipal council there shall be a standing committee, which will deal with the following subjects, namely:— 65 (a) taxation, finance and appeals; (b) public health, education and social justice; (c) town planning and improvement; (d) accounts; (2) The standing committee shall consist of such number of councillors not being more than eleven or less than five as the municipal council may determine, and elected by the municipal council in accordance with the rules framed under clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 323. (3) The members of the standing committee shall hold office for a period of one year. (4) The President and the Vice-President shall not be eligible for election as members of the standing committee. (5) The standing committees shall exercise the functions allotted to them under this Act and subject to any limitations specified by the municipal council especially in this behalf or generally by rules made under clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 323, and to the provisions of Chapter XIV shall exercise all the powers of the municipal council.]1