MEETING PROCEDURES

ANNA JOHN
• All resolutions regarding the administration
and development matters of the Panchayats/
Municipalities are taken in their meetings.
• Meetings shall be held at least once in a month
in the office of the Panchayat/ Municipality on
the date and time fixed in the notice.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEETINGS
• Ordinary Meeting- meeting convened by the LSGI by giving
agenda and notice to the members so as to reach them 3 clear
days before the meeting (excluding the date of receipt of the
notice and the date of the meeting)
• Urgent meeting- meeting convened by giving notice of a
period not less than 24 hours under urgent circumstances.
• Special meeting - meeting convened for discussing a
particular agenda by giving notice as in the case of an
ordinary meeting.
• Meetings convened by state election commission- meetings
convened for the matters under the responsibility of the
election commission eg. Election of office bearers.
1) Convening of the meeting, conduct of the
meeting as well as taking decisions should be
done by strictly observing due process of law.
2) All decisions must conform to laws.
3) Decisions must be within the purview of the
functions of the Panchayat/Municipality.
 Meeting procedure
1. Three tier Panchayats- Section 157, 158 and
161 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994-
K.P.R ( Procedure for Panchayat Meeting )
rules, 1995.
2. Urban local bodies – Sec. 19 & 36 of the
Kerala Municipality Act, 1994 –Procedure for
meeting of Municipal Council, 1995
 Meeting - responsibilities
1. President/ Chairperson/ Mayor- fixing date
and finalising agenda, convening, presiding
over and conduct of meeting.
2. Standing committees- All resolutions of the
standing committees are agendas of the next
meeting of the Panchayat / Municipal council.
Therefore they should meet and take
decisions prior to the meeting of the
panchayat/Council.
3. Secretary – preparation of agenda in
consultation with the President/
Chairperson/Mayor, preparation of agenda notes
and making it available to the members/
Councillors, giving legal advice, recording of
minutes and decision, publishing it, giving copies
to the members, placing the decisions of the
Standing committees before the Panchayat/
Council
4. Members – 1. Give note to the President/
Chairperson/ Mayor regarding items to be
included in the agenda.
2. Submit questions and resolutions to be
included in the agenda within the prescribed time
to the president/ Chairperson.
3. Participate in the discussions, express views
and cast vote.
 5. Head of Institutions/ implementing officers;
1. Give remarks and explanations as and when
required by the person presiding over the
meeting.
2. Give files on which decision of the Panchayat/
Municipality is required to the secretary well in
advance for including in the agenda.
3. Record legal opinion on the files on which
decision is required and submit draft resolutions
 Convening of meeting
• When letters, applications, complaints etc. that
requires the resolution of the Panchayat/
Municipal Council are received in the office,
the Secretary initiates action for the meeting by
making relevant entries in the Agenda
Register.
 • The procedure for convening the meeting is as follows:
1) The President/Chairperson/Mayor decides the date of
the meeting.
2) Secretary prepares the agenda in consultation with the
President /Chairperson/Mayor.
3) The Secretary sends notice of meeting duly signed by
the President/Chairperson/ Mayor to all members so as to
reach them three clear days(except for urgent meetings)
before the meeting ( The date of receipt of notice and the
date of the meeting shall not be reckoned)
4) Notes on the legal aspects of the items
included in the agenda must be prepared and
circulated to all members along with the notice
or before the meeting. ( Getting agenda note is
the right of every member –Rule 5(4) of
Panchayat meeting rule and Rule 6(3) of
Municipal Meeting Rules).
5) Meeting shall be held at the office of the LSGI at the
appointed time (except in urgent situations, meetings shall
be held only between 9 a.m and 6 p.m).
6) Members present at the appointed time of the meeting
mark their attendance in the Attendance Register. ( If
sufficient number of members to meet the quorum do not
turn up at the appointed time, the members present shall
wait for half an hour and even after passing of this time
they may wait further if they are willing to do so.
However under no circumstance meeting shall be held
without quorum. If there is no sufficient quorum meeting
should be postponed.)
7) The quorum for the meeting of the
Panchayat/Municipality shall be one third of the
sanctioned strength.
8) ‘Sakarma’ is the application software used for
the preparation of agenda, recording of minutes
and decisions and for follow-up action.
 Procedure of Meeting
1) Meeting is chaired by the
President/Chairperson/Mayor (when quorum is
met).
2) Interpellation session begins.
3) The President of the meeting answers the
questions received from the members. (The
Chairperson of the Standing Committees may be
asked to give replies). Duration of this session is
maximum one hour.
4) Discussion on Agenda. The President of the meeting
reads out the agenda item wise and invites members for
discussion.
5) Discussion continues under the control of the
President.
6) Resolution is announced at the end of the discussion of
each item (the decision shall be recorded in the Decision
Register in the case of Panchayat and in the Minutes book
in Municipalities then and there. If necessary, resolution
shall be taken after voting. (In all cases of equality of
votes the President/Chairperson/ Mayor can exercise
casting vote).
• Members who have given prior notice of
resolution are invited to move the resolution
one by one (only resolutions permitted earlier
are taken up for discussion)
• Discussion on the resolution continues.
• On completion of the discussions the
President/Chairperson/ Mayor announces the
decision.
• The meeting shall not be continued, if at any
time there is a fall in quorum consequent on
some members leaving the meeting.
• The meeting shall be disbursed immediately.
• Rule 7(2) of the Kerala Panchayat Raj
(Procedure for panchayat meeting rules) 1995
and Rule 12(2)of Kerala Municiplaity (
Procedure for council meeting ) Rules, 1995
• The interpellations and resolutions moved at
the meeting shall relate to the matters coming
within the administrative function of the
Panchayat/ Municiplality
SUBJECTS NOT INCLUDED IN THE
AGENDA
• A subject is not included in the agenda for a particular
meeting shall not be considered in the meeting of the
Panchayat.
• Hence every item that requires the decision of the Panchayat
shall be included in the agenda.
• However, orders and directions, having urgency, received
from government for consideration of the Panchayat shall be
considered in that meeting even if they are not included in
the agenda.
• In the case of Municipalities/ Municipal corporation if all the
members present agree any subject of urgent importance, but
not included in the agenda, may be considered in the
meeting.
 DISORDER BEHAVIOUR
• If any member behaves disorderly and causes
obstruction in conducting the meeting, the
chairman may suspend him from the meeting
for the day. Rule 9(4) of the Kerala Panchayat
Raj ( Procedure for Panchayat Meeting) Rules
and Section 38(3) of Kerala Municipality Act,
1994.
 Recording and Publishing of Decision –
Panchayats
1) There shall be a Decision Register to record the
decision and resolutions passed in the Panchayat
meeting and a Minutes Book to record the
proceedings of the meeting.
2) The Secretary shall record the decisions and
resolutions passed by the Panchayat then and
there.
3) Decision shall be recorded after assigning each
item a serial number in the order of passing it and
making entries as to the respective agenda
number, along with carbon paper copy.
4) At the close of the meeting the Secretary and
the Chairman of the meeting shall sign the
Decision Register.
5) The Secretary shall read out the decisions in
the meeting.
6) Immediately after the conclusion of the
meeting, the Secretary shall notify the carbon
copy of the decisions and resolutions passed on
the notice board.
7) The Secretary shall, within forty-eight hours
after the meeting, give all the members a copy of
the decisions and resolutions.
 Dissenting note on decisions
• All opinions expressed by the members (including
dissenting pinions) shall be recorded in the
minutes by the secretary.
• A member having dissenting opinion on a decision
or a resolution passed in the meeting may after the
conclusion of the meeting and within 48 hours of
getting a copy of the decision give his dissenting
note to the secretary if he has attended the meeting
and voted against the decision or resolution.
 Recording and Notifying the
Minutes - Panchayats
1) The Secretary shall within three days after the
meeting, prepare the draft notes on the proceedings
of the meeting and submit the same for the approval
of the chairman.
2) The Chairman shall within twenty four hours
approve the minutes and return it to the Secretary.
3) The Secretary shall immediately record the same
in the Minutes Book and obtain the signature of the
Chairman.
4) A copy of the minutes shall be published on the
notice board.
 Recording of Decision and Minutes and
Publishing it -Municipalities Municipal
Corporations
1) There shall be a Minutes book for recording the proceedings
of the meeting of the Council and the decisions taken. The
Secretary shall prepare the draft minutes within 24 hours of the
meeting and submit it to the Chairperson/Mayor (or the person
who presided over the meeting) for approval.
2) The draft minutes shall be approved and returned to the
Secretary within 24 hours of its receipt by the Chairperson
(after examining it and making necessary material changes, if
any).
3) The Secretary shall within 48 hours record the approved
minutes in the Minutes Book and obtain the signature of the
Chairman.
4) Immediately after recording the minutes in the Minutes
Book, a copy of the same shall be given to councillors and a
copy along with dissenting note, if any, shall be published on
the office notice board.
5) Any councillor who has attended the meeting and has voted
against a decision may, within 48 hours of the meeting, give his
dissenting note to the Secretary if he has a dissenting opinion
against the decision. [Sec 36(4) of Kerala Municipality Act].
6) Dissenting note shall also be given, to the Chairperson of the
meeting and the Secretary, within 48 hours on receipt of the
copy of Minutes. (Rule 15 of procedure of council meeting
rules).
 Forwarding of Minutes
• 1) Copy of the Minutes shall be given to the
concerned sections of the office and to other
institutions under the control of the
Municipality.
• 2) Copy of the Minutes with dissenting note
shall be forwarded to the concerned officers
within the prescribed time limit
• Grama Panchayat : 10 days- Deputy Director Of
Panchayats. (S:161(9)
• Block Panchayat- 10 days – director of panchayats
• District Panchayat – 10 Days- Secretary, LSGD
• Municiplaity- 10 days (S.36)- Director Of Urban
Affairs.
• Municipal Corporation- 10 days (S.36)- Secretary ,
LSGD
 Urgent Meetings (Rule 4 (2) of KPR (Procedure for
meeting) Rules and
Rule 5 of KM (Procedure for Council Meeting) Rules

• In a situation where there is no sufficient time

to convene a regular meeting and decision of
the Panchayat/Municipality/Municipal
Corporation is inevitably required, an urgent
meeting may be convened.
 Notice for Urgent Meeting shall be given to the
members at least 24 hours
before the meeting
• In Municipalities/Municipal Corporations,
short notice shall be sufficient). Considering
the urgency of the matter more than one item
may be included in the agenda for an Urgent
meeting. Other than notice period all other
procedures of a regular meeting shall be
followed for an Urgent meeting.
• Special Meeting
• A meeting convened to discuss a particular agenda is called Special
Meeting. It is convened in the same manner as a regular meeting.

• Circumstances under which Special Meetings are to be convened

• Presenting Budget.
• Discussing Audit Report.
• Recommending the transfer of the Secretary.
• Cancellation or modification of a resolution within 3 months.
• If requested by not less than one third of the members.
 Meetings convened by the State
Election Commission.
• Meeting for oath or affirmation of elected
members.
• For the election of
President/Chairperson/Mayor or
Vice-President/Deputy Chairpersons/Deputy
Mayor.
• Election to Standing Committee.
• No-confidence motion.
• The responsibility of preparing and keeping the
Attendance, Minutes etc of the meetings convened
at the instance of the Election Commission vests
with the officer authorised by the Election
Commission to conduct the meeting.
• Attendance and minutes of such meeting shall not
be entered in the Minutes Book of the LSGI but
shall be recorded in a separate Minutes Book.
 Standing Committee Meetings
• A Standing Committee shall meet in the office of the
Panchayat/Municipality/ Municipal Corporation at least
once in a month on such date and time as may be fixed by
the Chairperson.
• The procedure for the meeting of the Standing
Committees of the Panchayats and Municipalities are laid
down in the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Standing Committee)
Rules, 2000 and the Kerala Municipality (Standing
Committee) Rules, 2000 respectively.
• Notice for meeting shall be given to the members at
least three clear days before the meeting.(In urgent
situations meeting can be convened on shorter notice)
• The Chairperson shall inform the President/ Chairperson/Mayor who
is the ex- officio member, the date and time fixed for the meeting of
the Standing Committee and the subjects to be discussed in the
meeting.
• Standing Committees shall consider only those subjects assigned to
them as per the Panchayat Raj/Municipality Act.
• The quorum of the Standing Committee shall be three and the
committee shall not meet without quorum. But if the number of
members having voting right in a Standing Committee is four or less
than four the quorum of such committee shall be two.
• The Secretary shall submit every resolution passed by the Standing
Committee in the next meeting of the Panchayat/Municipality.

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