152. Oath or affirmation by members

1. ⁵⁸After every General election, the Government shall, for convening the first meeting of the panchayat, nominate a person elected as a member of the panchayat and he shall, before convening such meeting, make and subscribe an oath or affirmation in the forms set out for the purpose in the second schedule before the Government officer nominated by the Government for the purpose:
   Provided that, as far as possible, the member nominated by the Government shall be the eldest among the members elected to that panchayat.
2. All other members shall, before assuming office make and subscribe an oath or affirmation in the form set out for the purpose in the second schedule before the member of the panchayat who has been nominated under sub-section (1) on a date specified by the Government and before the date fixed by the State Election Commission for the election of the President under sub-section (5) of section (153)]
3. A member who could not take an oath or affirmation under sub-election (2) or a member elected in a bye-election may take such oath before the president.
4. No elected member who has not taken an oath or affirmation under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) or sub-section (3) shall vote or take part in the proceedings of any meeting of the Panchayat in which he is a member nor shall he be included as a member of any committee constituted by that Panchayat.
5. Government may declare the office of the member as vacated on his own motion, when such a member has not entered upon his office without sufficient cause by taking, oath or affirmation within a maximum period of thirty days from the date he was declared as elected.

⁵⁸Substituted by Act 13 of 1999.