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1[PART XIVA : TRIBUNALS
323A. Administrative tribunals.
(1) Parliament may, by law, provide for the adjudication or trial by administrative tribunals of disputes and complaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of any State or of any local or other authority within the territory of India or under the control of the Government of India or of any corporation owned or controlled by the Government.
(2)A law made under clause (1) may—
(a)provide for the establishment of an administrative tribunal for the Union and a separate administrative tribunal for each State or for two or more States;
(b)specify the jurisdiction, powers (including the power to punish for contempt) and authority which may be exercised by each of the said tribunals;
(c)provide for the procedure (including provisions as to limitation and rules of evidence) to be followed by the said tribunals;
(d)exclude the jurisdiction of all courts, except the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under article 136, with respect to the disputes or complaints referred to in clause (1);
(e)provide for the transfer to each such administrative tribunal of any cases pending before any court or other authority immediately before the establishment of such tribunal as would have been within the jurisdiction of such tribunal if the causes of action on which such suits or proceedings are based had arisen after such establishment;
(f)repeal or amend any order made by the President under clause (3) of article 371D;
(g)contain such supplemental, incidental and consequential provisions (including provisions as to fees) as Parliament may deem necessary for the effective functioning of, and for the speedy disposal of cases by, and the enforcement of the orders of, such tribunals.
(3)The provisions of this article shall have effect notwithstanding anything in any other provision of this Constitution or in any other law for the time being in force.
323B. Tribunals for other matters.
(1) The appropriate Legislature may, by law, provide for the adjudication or trial by tribunals of any disputes, complaints, or offences with respect to all or any of the matters specified in clause (2) with respect to which such Legislature has power to make laws.
(2)The matters referred to in clause (1) are the following, namely:—
(a)levy, assessment, collection and enforcement of any tax;
(b)foreign exchange, import and export across customs frontiers;
(c)industrial and labour disputes;
(d)land reforms by way of acquisition by the State of any estate as defined in article 31A or of any rights therein or the extinguishment or modification of any such rights or by way of ceiling on agricultural land or in any other way;
(e)ceiling on urban property;
(f)elections to either House of Parliament or the House or either House of the Legislature of a State, but excluding the matters referred to in article 329 and article 329A;
(g)production, procurement, supply and distribution of food-stuffs (including edible oilseeds and oils) and such other goods as the President may, by public notification, declare to be essential goods
for the purpose of this article and control of prices of such goods;
2[(h) rent, its regulation and control and tenancy issues including the right, title and interest of landlords and tenants;]
3[(i)] offences against laws with respect to any of the matters specified in sub-clauses (a) to 4[(h)] and fees in respect of any of those matters;
3[(j)] any matter incidental to any of the matters specified in sub-clauses (a) to 5[(i)].
(3)A law made under clause (1) may—
(a)provide for the establishment of a hierarchy of tribunals;
(b)specify the jurisdiction, powers (including the power to punish for contempt) and authority which may be exercised by each of the said tribunals;
(c)provide for the procedure (including provisions as to limitation and rules of evidence) to be followed by the said tribunals;
(d)exclude the jurisdiction of all courts, except the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under article 136, with respect to all or any of the matters falling within the jurisdiction of the said tribunals;
(e)provide for the transfer to each such tribunal of any cases pending before any court or any other authority immediately before the establishment of such tribunal as would have been within the jurisdiction of such tribunal if the causes of action on which such suits or proceedings are based had arisen after such establishment;
(f)contain such supplemental, incidental and consequential provisions (including provisions as to fees) as the appropriate Legislature may deem necessary for the effective functioning of, and for the speedy disposal of cases by, and the enforcement of the orders of, such tribunals.
(4)The provisions of this article have effect notwithstanding anything in any other provision of this Constitution or in any other law for the time being in force.
Explanation.—In this article, “appropriate Legislature”, in relation to any matter, means Parliament or, as the case may be, a State Legislature competent to make laws with respect to such matter in accordance with the provisions of Part XI.]
PART XV : ELECTIONS
324. Superintendence, direction and control of elections to be vested in an Election Commission.
(1) The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every State and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President held under this Constitution 6*** shall be vested in a Commission (referred to in this Constitution as the Election Commission).
(2)The Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix and the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf by Parliament, be made by the President.
(3)When any other Election Commissioner is so appointed the Chief Election Commissioner shall act as the Chairman of the Election Commission.
(4)Before each general election to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of each State, and before the first general election and thereafter before each biennial election to the Legislative Council of each State having such Council, the President may also appoint after consultation with the Election Commission such Regional Commissioners as he may consider necessary to assist the Election Commission in the performance of the functions conferred on the Commission by clause (1).
(5)Subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, the conditions of service and tenure of office of the Election Commissioners and the Regional Commissioners shall be such as the President may by rule determine:
Provided that the Chief Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court and the conditions of service of the Chief Election Commissioner shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment:
Provided further that any other Election Commissioner or a Regional Commissioner shall not be removed from office except on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
(6)The President, or the Governor 7*** of a State, shall, when so requested by the Election Commission, make available to the Election Commission or to a Regional Commissioner such staff as may be necessary for the discharge of the functions conferred on the Election Commission by clause (1).
325. No personto be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex.
There shall be one general electoral roll for every territorial constituency for election to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in any such roll or claim to be included in any special electoral roll for any such constituency on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them.
326. Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be on the basis of adult suffrage.
The elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of adult suffrage; that is to say, every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than 8[eighteen years] of age on such date as may be fixed in that behalf by or under any law made by the appropriate Legislature and is not otherwise disqualified under this Constitution or any law made by the appropriate Legislature on the ground of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice, shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election.
327. Power of Parliament to make provision with respect to elections to Legislatures.
Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with, elections to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State including the preparation of electoral rolls, the delimitation of constituencies and all other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses.
328. Power of Legislature of a State to make provision with respect to elections to such Legislature.
Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and in so far as provision in that behalf is not made by Parliament, the Legislature of a State may from time to time by law make provision with respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with, the elections to the House or either House of the Legislature of the State including the preparation of electoral rolls and all other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses.
329. Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters.
9[Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution 10***]
(a)the validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats to such constituencies, made or purporting to be made under article 327 or article 328, shall not be called in question in any court;
(b)no election to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State shall be called in question except by an election petition presented to such authority and in such manner as may be provided for by or under any law made by the appropriate Legislature.
329A. [Repealed.]
11[Special provision as to elections to Parliament in the case of Prime Minister and Speaker.] Rep. by the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, s. 36 (w.e.f. 20-6-1979).
1. Ins. by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, s. 46 (w.e.f. 3-1-1977).
2. Ins. by the Constitution (Seventy-fifth Amendment) Act, 1993, s. 2 (w.e.f. 15-5-1994).
3. Sub-clauses (h) and (i) re-lettered as sub-clauses (i) and (j) by s. 2, ibid. (w.e.f. 15-5-1994).
4. Subs. by s. 2, ibid., for “(g)” (w.e.f. 15-5-1994).
5. Subs. by s. 2, ibid., for “(h)” (w.e.f. 15-5-1994).
6. The words “including the appointment of election tribunals for the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with elections to Parliament and to the Legislatures of States” omitted by the Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Act, 1966, s. 2.
7. The words “or Rajpramukh” omitted by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 29 and Sch.
8. Subs. by the Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988, s. 2, for “twenty-one years”.
9. Subs. by the Constitution (Thirty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1975, s. 3, for certain words.
10. The words, figures and letter “but subject to the provisions of article 329A” omitted by the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, s. 35 (w.e.f. 20-6-1979).
11. Ins. by the Constitution (Thirty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1975, s. 4.
