The Manipur (Village Authorities in Hill Areas) Act, 1956

(1) This Act may be called the Manipur(Village Authorities in Hill Areas) Act, 1956. (2) It extends to the whole of the hill areas of the Union territory of Manipur. (3) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in theOfficial Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) "Chief Commissioner" means the Chief Commissioner of Manipur; (b) "Deputy Commissioner" means the Deputy Commissioner of Manipur and includes theAdditional Deputy commissioner thereof; (c) "heinous offence" means (i) any of the following offences punishable under the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), that isto say, any offence under Chapter VI, rioting, any offence under Chapter XII, murder,culpable homicide not amounting to murder, grievous hurt, kidnapping or abducting in order tosubject a person to slavery, buying or disposing of any person as a slave, habitual dealing inslaves, rape, robbery, dacoity, mischief by fire or explosive substance, and house breaking; (ii) any offence punishable under the Indian Arms Act, 1878 (11 of 1878); and includes any attempt, preparation or conspiracy to commit, and abetment of, any of the offencesspecified in sub-clause (i) or sub-clause (ii); (d) "hill areas" mean such areas in the Hill tracts of the Union territory of Manipur as the ChiefCommissioner may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be hill areas; (e) "legal practitioner" includes a pleader, mukhtar or revenue-agent; (f) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.

(1) For every village having twenty or more tax-paying housesthere shall be a village Authority consisting of (a) five members, where the number of tax-paying houses in the village is not less than twentybut is not more than sixty; (b) seven members, where the number of tax-paying houses in the village is more than sixty but isnot more than one hundred; (c) ten members, where the number of tax-paying houses in the village is more than one hundredbut is not more than one hundred and fifty; (d) twelve members, where the number of tax-paying houses in the village is more than onehundred and fifty. (2) The Chief Commissioner may, having regard to the general interests of the people of anyvillage as also to the demand, if any, from the people of that village for an elected Village Authority,declare, by notification in the Official Gazette, that the village shall have an elected Village Authority,and thereupon the members of the Village Authority of that village shall be elected in accordance with theprovisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder. (3) Where no declaration under sub-section (2) has been made in relation to any village the membersof the Village Authority of that village shall be nominated by the Chief Commissioner. (4) Where there is a Chief Khulakpa in a village, he shall be the ex officio chairman of theVillage Authority of that village; and where there is no such Chief or Khulakpa in the village, thechairman of the village Authority of that village shall be elected by the members of the Village Authorityfrom among themselves.

A person shall not be qualified to bechosen as a member of a Village Authority unless he (a) is a citizen of India; (b) is not less than twenty-five years of age; and (c) in the case of membership of an elected Village Authority, is registered in the electoral roll asa voter for the election of a member of the Village Authority.

A person shall be disqualified forbeing chosen as, and for being, a member of a Village Authority, (a) if he is a member of any other Village Authority; (b) if he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent authority.