Recording of substance of the complaints and application and appointment of benches

(1) Where a case, suit or a proceeding is instituted orally, the Pradhan or the Up-Pradhan receiving the complaint or application shall record without delay the prescribed particulars and take the signature or thumb impression of the complainant or applicant thereon. (2) On recording the substance of the complaint or application in the register under sub-section (1) the Pradhan or in his absence the Up-Pradhan, as the case may be, shall, or on a reference by a revenue court concerned, appoint a bench of the Gram Panchayat consisting of three Panches and refer the said complaint or application to that bench for disposal and shall also fix a date for the first hearing of the complaint or application before the said bench and give notice of the said date to the complainant or the applicant and to the Panches thereof: Provided that no Panch, who is a member of the Gram Sabha in the ward for election to the Gram Panchayat in which ward the place of occurrence of the case lies, or in which ward the cause of action for the suit arose, as the case may be, shall be included on the bench. (3) On the date fixed for the first hearing of case, suit or proceedings the bench formed under sub-section (2), shall, unless the Pradhan or Up-Pradhan is a member of it, choose one of the Panches to be the Chairman of that bench to conduct the proceedings and shall take up and hear case, suit or proceedings, as the case may be, in the prescribed manner. (4) For the purposes of judicial functions, a Gram Panchayat shall include a bench thereof.