Amendment of section 31-B of the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board Act, 1950

In section 31-B of the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board Act, 1950 (hereinafter referred to as "the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board Act")— (a) in sub-section (1),— (i) for the words "to the State Government:" the words "to an appellate officer appointed for the purpose :" shall be substituted ; (ii) in the proviso,— (a) for the words "the State Government may" the words "the appellate officer may" shall be substituted; (b) for the words "if it is" the words "if he is" shall be substituted; (b) in sub-section (2),— (i) for the words "the State Government" at both places where they occur, the words "the appellate officer" shall be substituted; (ii) for the words "as it thinks" the words "as he thinks" shall be substituted; (c) in sub-section (3),— (i) for the words, "the State Government" the words "the appellate officer" shall be substituted; (ii) for the words "as it thinks" the words "as he thinks" shall be substituted; (d) after sub-section (3), the following sub-sections shall be added, namely :— "(4) For the purpose of this section, the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint one or more appellate officers for the whole of that part of the State in which this Act is in force, or for such area therein, as may be specified in the notification. An appellate officer shall be a person who is not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to Government and who had judicial experience or experience in the Legal Department of the State, or who has held judicial office not below the rank of District Judge. (5) All appeals pending before the State Government immediately before the commencement of the Bombay Housing Board and Madhya Pradesh Housing Board (Amendment) Ordinance, 1973, shall be transferred by it to the appellate officer concerned and shall be heard and disposed of by him as if they had been originally filed before him. The appellate officer may proceed to hear and dispose of any such appeal from the stage it reached before its transfer to him, or may commence the inquiry de novo by himself."