17.
| (1) The Assistant Commissioner shall, as soon as possible after the election of a Village Council, convene the first meeting thereof by notice. Such notice shall, at least five days before the date fixed for the meeting,-
| | (a) be published in the Gazette and in one or more Sinhala newspapers circulating in Ceylon, if the language in which proceedings are conducted in that Council is Sinhala, or in one or more newspapers in Sinhala and Tamil circulating in Ceylon if the language in which proceedings are conducted in that Council is Tamil, and | | |
| | (b) be despatched by registered post to each elected member of that Council. | | |
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| (2) Every notice under subsection (1) shall specify the date, time and place of the meeting, and the date specified shall be within the period of one month next succeeding the date appointed for the commencement of the term of office of the Council, or in the case of a Council elected as successor to a Council going out of office otherwise than by effluxion of time, within the period of one month next succeeding the date on which the election or nomination of the members of the new Council is completed. |
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| (3) Where for any reason the meeting is not held on the date specified in the notice under subsection (1), the Assistant Commissioner may, by such further notice or notices as may be necessary, convene the meeting for any other date, but so however that such other date is within the period of one month prescribed in subsection (2). |
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| (4) At the meeting convened under subsection (1) or subsection (3), as the case may be, the members of the Council shall elect one of their number to be the Chairman of the Council. |
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| (5) Whenever the office of Chairman of a Village Council falls vacant during the term of office of the Council the Assistant Commissioner shall, within two weeks of his receiving information of the vacancy, by notice or notices served in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1) or subsection (3), convene a meeting for the election of a new Chairman, and the date specified for the meeting in such notice or notices shall be such as to ensure that a new Chairman is elected within the period of six weeks next succeeding the occurence of the vacancy. |
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| (6) Every meeting under this section shall be held at the place and time and on the date specified in the notice convening that meeting, and shall, until the election of a Chairman, be presided over by the Assistant Commissioner or by an officer of Government, other than a divisional revenue officer, deputed by the Assistant Commissioner to act as presiding officer. |
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Sri Lanka Consolidated Acts