The Assam Panchayat Act, 1959 was enacted as per the recommendations of the Balwantrai Mehta Committee, which was formed in 1957 to review the functions of the Community Development Programme by Central Government. The Assam Panchayat Act, 1959 replaced The Assam Rural Panchayat Act of 1948.
Features of Assam Panchayat Act, 1959:
- Formation of three-tier system of the Panchayati Raj. The three-tiers are: Gaon Panchayat at village level, Anchalik Panchayat at intermediate level and Mahkuma Parishad at the Sub-divisional level.
- Gaon Panchayat was the executive body of the Gaon Sabha. It consisted of not more than eleven (11) and not less than nine (9) members.
- Gaon Sabha at the bottom of the village Panchayat, consisted of all adults from the area enrolled in electoral roll.
- The members of Gaon Panchayat were directly elected on the basis of adult suffrage.
- The President and the Vice-President of Gaon Panchayat are directly elected by the members of the Gaon Sabha.
- In Gaon Panchayat, co-option of one woman if no woman was elected and co-option of one each from the Schedule Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) if they constituted at least 5% of the total population of the area.
- The President and the Vice-President of the Anchalik Panchayat were elected by the members from among themselves.
- State Government to appoint members to the Anchalik Panchayat without the right to vote.
- Co-option of two members, one each from the SC and ST communities in Anchalik Panchayat.
- Every Gaon Sabha to elect one representative to the Anchalik Panchayat falling within its jurisdiction.
- Mahkuma Parishad consisted of the Presidents of Anchalik Panchayats, the Members of Legislative Assembly and Members of Parliament within the area, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).
- Co-option of one member from the SC and ST communities in Mohkuma Parishad, if there was no representation from these categories.
The Assam Panchayat Act, 1959 formed the base of present three-tier system of Panchayati Raj. However, the Act got replaced by the Assam Panchayati Raj Act of 1972.