Term of office of members, etc.

(1) The term of the office of the members of a market committee, other than the ex-offcio member or the members nominated under clause (d) of sub-section (2) of section 10, shall be three years from the date of publication in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette of the notification under section 11 and such members shall be eligible for nomination for not more than another term of three years:

Provided that, for the purposes of this sub-section, a person who has held office in a causal vacancy for a period of not less than one year shall be eligible for nomination for not more than another term of three years :

Provided further that, a member notwithstanding the expiry of this term of office, shall continue to hold office and function as a member of the market committee until the nomination of his successor, or for a period of three months, whichever is earlier :

Provided also that the Government any, by notification, on or before the expiry of term of office of the members of a market committee, for sufficient cause, direct that the term of office of such members of the market committee as a whole be extended by such period not exceeding six months at any one time, but not exceeding one year in the aggregate.

(2) (a) A member of every market committee, other than the ex-officio member or the members nominated under clause (d) of sub-section (2) of section 10, shall cease to hold his office if he absents himself from three consecutive meetings of the market committee, including meetings which, for want of quorum could not be held.

(b) For the purposes of clause (a), no meeting of the market committee from which a member absents himself shall be counted against him if due notice of that meeting was not given to him.

(3) Where a person ceases to be a member under sub-section (2), the Chairman shall at once intimate the fact in writing to such person and report the same to the market committee at its next meeting. The market committee may suo-motu at that meeting and shall on an application made by such person within fifteen days of the receipt by him of such intimation, at its next meeting after the receipt of such application, restore him to his office as member:

Provided that a member shall not be so restored more than twice during his term of office.

(4) Every causal vacancy in the office of any member of the market committee shall ordinarily be filled up not later than three months from the date off occurrence of the vacancy by a fresh nomination in the manner prescribed:

Provided that no casual vacancy shall be filled up within four months before the expiry of the term of office of the member in whose office the casual vacancy has occurred.

(5) The member nominated to fill up a casual vacancy under sub-section (4) shall hold office only so long as the member in whose place he is nominated would have been entitled to hold office it the vacancy did not occur.

Explanation.- For the purpose of this section, "casual vacancy" means a vacancy occurring otherwise than by efflux of time.

(6) If at any time it appears to the Government that any person nominated by them has shown himself to be unsuitable for his office, or has been guilty of any misconduct or neglect which renders his removal expedient, the Government may, by notification, remove such person from his office.