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RNI No. MAHENG /2009/35528
महाारााष्ट्र� शाासन रााजपत्र
असाधााराण भााग आठ
वर्षष ११, अंक ३८(३)] सोमवारा, नोव्हांबरा ३, २०२५/कार्ति�षक १२, शाके १९४७ [पष्ृठ े५, र्तिकमं � : रुपये े२७.००
असाधााराण क्रमांक ८५
प्राार्तिधाकृ� प्राकाशान
महाारााष्ट्र र्तिवधाानमंडळााचेे अर्तिधार्तिनयेम व रााज्येपालांांनी प्रााख्येार्तिप� केलांेलांे अध्येादेेशा व केलांेलांे र्तिवर्तिनयेम आर्तिण
र्तिवधाी व न्येाये र्तिवभाागाकडून आलांेलांी र्तिवधाेयेके (इंंग्रजी अनुवादे).
In pursuance of clause (3) of article 348 of the Constitution of India, the following translation in
English of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat
Samitis (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (Mah. Ord. XII of 2025), is hereby published under the
authority of the Governor.
By order and in the name of the Governor of Maharashtra,
SATISH WAGHOLE,
Secretary (Legislation) to Government,
Law and Judiciary Department.
[Translation in English of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats and the Maharashtra Zilla
Parishads and Panchayat Samitis (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (Mah. Ord. XII of 2025), published
under the authority of the Governor].
RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Bandhkam Bhavan, 25, Marzban Path, Fort,
Mumbai 400 001, dated the 3rd November 2025.
MAHARASHTRA ORDINANCE No. XII OF 2025.
AN ORDINANCE
further to amend the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act and the
Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961.
WHEREAS both Houses of the State Legislature are not in session ;
AND WHEREAS, the Governor of Maharashtra is satisfied that
circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action
III of further to amend the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act and the Maharashtra
1959.
Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961, for the purposes hereinafter
Mah. V
appearing;
of 1962.
)१(
भााग आठ-८५–१2 महाारााष्ट्र शाासन रााजपत्र असाधााराण भााग आठ, नोव्हांबरा ३, २०२५/कार्ति�षक १२, शाके १९४७
NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of
article 213 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of Maharashtra is hereby
pleased to promulgate the following Ordinance, namely :—
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY.
Short title 1. (1) This Ordinance may be called the Maharashtra Village Panchayats
and and Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis (Amendment)
commencement.
Ordinance, 2025.
(2) It shall come into force at once.
CHAPTER II
AMENDMENTS TO THE MAHARASHTRA VILLAGE PANCHAYATS ACT.
Amendment 2. In section 10-1A of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act (hereinafter, III of
of section in this Chapter, referred to as “the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act”), for 1959.
10-1A of III
of 1959. the existing provisos, the following provisos shall be substituted, namely :—
“Provided that, a person who has applied to the Scrutiny Committee
for verification of his Caste Certificate before the date of filing of the
nomination papers, but who has not received the Validity Certificate on
the date of filing of the nomination papers shall submit, alongwith the
nomination papers,—
(i) a true copy of the application submitted by him to the Scrutiny
Committee for issuance of the Validity Certificate or any other proof
of having made such application to the Scrutiny Committee ; and
(ii) an undertaking that he shall submit the Validity Certificate
issued by the Scrutiny Committee, within a period of six months from
the date on which he is declared elected :
Provided further that, if such person fails to produce the Validity
Certificate within a period of six months from the date on which he is
declared elected, his election shall be deemed to have been terminated
retrospectively and he shall be disqualified for being a member.”.
Amendment 3. In section 30-1A of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act, for the
of section
existing provisos, the following provisos shall be substituted, namely :-
30-1A of III
of 1959. “Provided that, a person who has applied to the Scrutiny Committee
for verification of his Caste Certificate before the date of filing of the
nomination papers, but who has not received the Validity Certificate on
the date of filing of the nomination papers shall submit, alongwith the
nomination papers,—
(i) a true copy of the application submitted by him to the Scrutiny
Committee for issuance of the Validity Certificate or any other proof
of having made such application to the Scrutiny Committee; and
(ii) an undertaking that he shall submit the Validity Certificate
issued by the Scrutiny Committee, within a period of six months from
the date on which he is declared elected:महाारााष्ट्र शाासन रााजपत्र असाधााराण भााग आठ, नोव्हांबरा ३, २०२५/कार्ति�षक १२, शाके १९४७ 3
Provided further that, if such person fails to produce the Validity
Certificate within a period of six months from the date on which he is
declared elected, his election shall be deemed to have been terminated
retrospectively and he shall be disqualified for being a Sarpanch.”.
CHAPTER III
AMENDMENTS TO THE MAHARASHTRA ZILLA PARISHADS AND
PANCHAYAT SAMITIS ACT, 1961.
Mah. V 4. In section 12A of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Amendment
of 1962. Samitis Act, 1961 (hereinafter, in this Chapter, referred to as “the Maharashtra of section
12A of Mah.
Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act”), for the existing provisos, the
V of 1962.
following provisos shall be substituted, namely :—
“Provided that, a person who has applied to the Scrutiny Committee
for verification of his Caste Certificate before the date of filing of the
nomination papers, but who has not received the Validity Certificate on
the date of filing of the nomination papers shall submit, alongwith the
nomination papers,—
(i) a true copy of the application submitted by him to the Scrutiny
Committee for issuance of the Validity Certificate or any other proof
of having made such application to the Scrutiny Committee ; and
(ii) an undertaking that he shall submit the Validity Certificate
issued by the Scrutiny Committee, within a period of six months from
the date on which he is declared elected :
Provided further that, if such person fails to produce the Validity
Certificate within a period of six months from the date on which he is
declared elected, his election shall be deemed to have been terminated
retrospectively and he shall be disqualified for being a Councillor.”.
5. In section 42 of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Amendment
Samitis Act, in sub-section (6A), for the existing provisos, the following provisos of section 42
of Mah. V of
shall be substituted, namely :—
1962.
“Provided that, a person who has applied to the Scrutiny Committee
for verification of his Caste Certificate before the date of filing of the
nomination papers, but who has not received the Validity Certificate on
the date of filing of the nomination papers shall submit, alongwith the
nomination papers,—
(i) a true copy of the application submitted by him to the Scrutiny
Committee for issuance of the Validity Certificate or any other proof
of having made such application to the Scrutiny Committee ; and
(ii) an undertaking that he shall submit the Validity Certificate
issued by the Scrutiny Committee within a period of six months from
the date on which he is declared elected :
Provided further that, if such person fails to produce the Validity
Certificate within a period of six months from the date on which he is
declared elected, his election shall be deemed to have been terminated
retrospectively and he shall be disqualified for being a President.”.
भााग आठ-८५–२4 महाारााष्ट्र शाासन रााजपत्र असाधााराण भााग आठ, नोव्हांबरा ३, २०२५/कार्ति�षक १२, शाके १९४७
Amendment 6. In section 67 of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat
of section 67 Samitis Act, in sub-section (7A), for the existing provisos, the following provisos
of Mah. V of
shall be substituted, namely :—
1962.
“Provided that, a person who has applied to the Scrutiny Committee
for verification of his Caste Certificate before the date of filing of the
nomination papers, but who has not received the Validity Certificate on
the date of filing of the nomination papers shall submit, alongwith the
nomination papers,—
(i) a true copy of the application submitted by him to the Scrutiny
Committee for issuance of the Validity Certificate or any other proof
of having made such application to the Scrutiny Committee ; and
(ii) an undertaking that he shall submit the Validity Certificate
issued by the Scrutiny Committee, within a period of six months from
the date on which he is declared elected :
Provided further that, if such person fails to produce the Validity
Certificate within a period of six months from the date on which he is
declared elected, his election shall be deemed to have been terminated
retrospectively and he shall be disqualified for being a Chairman.”.महाारााष्ट्र शाासन रााजपत्र असाधााराण भााग आठ, नोव्हांबरा ३, २०२५/कार्ति�षक १२, शाके १९४७ 5
STATEMENT
Sections 10-1A and 30-1A of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act
(III of 1959) and sections 12A, 42 and 67 of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads
and Panchayats Samitis Act, 1961 (Mah. V of 1962) provides that, every
person desirous of contesting election to a seat of member or Councillor or
post of Sarpanch, President or Chairman reserved for persons belonging to the
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or, as the case may be, Backward Classes of
Citizens, shall submit, alongwith the nomination paper, Caste Certificate issued
by the Competent Authority and the Validity Certificate issued by the Scrutiny
Committee in accordance with the provisions of the Maharashtra Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes,
Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance
and Verification of) Caste Certificate Act, 2000 (Mah. XXIII of 2001) and the
rules made thereunder.
2. In the year 2025-2026 elections to local bodies are to be held in the State
on a large scale. The Caste Scrutiny Committees will receive large number of
application for issuing Validity Certificates from candidates who desire to contest
such election to reserved seats. Therefore, the Caste Scrutiny Committees may
get overburdened with the work of scrutiny of such applications, before filing
of nominations for such elections and such situation may arise after every five
years before such elections.
The prospective candidates may get deprived of the opportunity to contest
such elections for the reserved seats because of the non-issuance of the Caste
Validity Certificate by the Caste Scrutiny Committee in time. Therefore,
the Government considers it expedient to amend the Maharashtra Village
Panchayats Act and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis
Act, 1961 suitably with a view to allow the persons contesting elections for
reserved seats and who have applied to the Caste Scrutiny Committee for
obtaining Caste Validity Certificate to submit the Validity Certificate within
six months from the date on which they are declared elected, and also to provide
that if they fail to produce the Validity Certificate within such six months, their
elections shall be deemed to be terminated retrospectively.
3. As both Houses of the State Legislature are not in session and the
Governor of Maharashtra is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it
necessary for him to take immediate action further to amend the Maharashtra
Village Panchayats Act and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat
Samitis Act, 1961, for the purposes aforesaid, this Ordinance is promulgated.
Mumbai, ACHARYA DEVVRAT,
Dated the 2nd November, 2025. Governor of Maharashtra.
By order and in the name of the
Governor of Maharashtra,
EKNATH DAWALE,
Principal Secretary to Government.
ON BEHALF OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATION, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY DIRECTOR,
RUPENDRA DINESH MORE, PRINTED AT GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, 21-A, NETAJI SUBHASH ROAD, CHARNI ROAD,
MUMBAI 400 004 AND PUBLISHED AT DIRECTORATE OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATIONS,
21-A, NETAJI SUBHASH ROAD, CHARNI ROAD, MUMBAI 400 004. EDITOR : DIRECTOR, RUPENDRA DINESH MORE.