Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and Councillor when to abstain from taking part in discussion and voting.

(1) No Councillor including Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson or any person referred to in clauses (ii) and (iii) of sub-section (1) of section 37 shall vote on, or take part in the discussion of any question coming up for consideration at a meeting of the council or of any standing committee or wards committee or any other committee, if the question is one in which, apart from its general application to the public, he has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest by himself or his partner. (2) The Chairperson may prohibit any Councillor or such persons from voting on or taking part in the discussion of any matter in which the Councillor or such persons is believed to have any pecuniary interest, or he may require the Councillor or such persons to absent himself during the discussion. (3) Such Councillor or such persons may challenge the decision of the Chairperson, who shall thereupon place the question at the meeting of the council and the decision of the council thereon shall be final. (4) If the Chairperson is alleged to have any pecuniary interest in any matter under discussion by any Councillor or by such persons present at the meeting, he shall, on the motion of such allegation, if carried out, absent himself from the meeting during the discussion. (5) The Councillor referred to in sub-section (2) shall not be entitled to vote on the question referred to in sub-section (3) and the Chairperson concerned shall not be entitled to vote on the motion referred in sub-section (4). Explanation.— In this section, ‘Chairperson’ includes a Deputy Chairperson or Councillor presiding a meeting of the council.