In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) "action" means action taken by way of decision, recommendation or finding or in any other manner and includes failure to act; and all other expressions connoting action shall be construed accordingly; (b) "allegation", in relation to a public servant, means any affirmation that such public servant,- (i) has abused his position as such to obtain any gain or favour to himself or to any other person or to cause undue harm or hardship to any other person, (ii) was actuated in the discharge of his functions as such public servant by personal interest or improper or corrupt motives, or (iii) is guilty of corruption, or lack of integrity in his capacity as such public servant; (c) "competent authority", in relation to a public servant, means,- (i) in the case of a Minister or Secretary . .the Chief Minister, (ii) in the case of any other public servant . .such authority as may be prescribed; (d) "grievance" means a claim by a person that he sustained injustice or undue hardship in consequence of maladministration; (e) "Lokayukta" means a person appointed as the Lokayukta under section 3; (f) "Upa-Lokayukta" means a person appointed as an Upa-Lokayukta under section 3; (g) "maladministration" means action taken or purporting to have been taken in the exercise of administrative functions in any case,- (i) where such action or the administrative procedure or practice governing such action is unreasonable, unjust, oppressive or improperly discriminatory, or (ii) where there has been negligence or undue delay in taking such action, or the administrative procedure or practice governing such action involves undue delay; (h) "Minister" means a member (other than the Chief Minister) of the Council of Ministers, by whatever name called, for the State of Maharashtra, that is to say, a Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister; (i) "officer" means a person appointed to a public service or post in connection with the affairs of the State of Maharashtra; (j) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (k) "public servant" denotes a person falling under any of the descriptions hereinafter following, namely :- (i) every Minister referred to in clause (h); (ii) every officer referred to in clause (i); (iii) (a) 1[every President, Vice-President and Councillor of a Zilla Parishad], 2[Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Member of a Panchyat Samiti], and Chairman of the Standing or any Subjects Committee, constituted under the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchyat Samitis Act, 1961 (Mah. V of 1962); (b) 3[every President, Vice-President and Councillor of a Municipal Council], and Chairman of the Standing or any Subjects Committee, constituted or deemed to be constituted under the 4[Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchyats and Industrial Townships] Act, 1965 (Mah. XL of 1965); 5[(c) every Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor of all Municipal Corporations and Chairman of Standing or any Subject Committee, constituted under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act (Bom. III of 1888), the City of Nagpur Corporation Act, 1948 (C. P. and Berar II of 1950) and the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 (Bom. LIX of 1949);] (iv) every person in the service or pay of,- (a) any local authority in the State of Maharashtra, which is notified by the State Government in this behalf in the Official Gazette, (b) any corporation (not being local authority) established by or under a State of Provincial Act and owned or controlled by the State Government, (c) any Government company within the meaning of section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), in which not less than fifty-one per cent. of the paid up share capital is held by the State Government, or any company which is a subsidiary of a company in which not less than fifty-one per cent. of the paid up share capital is held by the State Government, (d) any society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860), which is subject to the control of the State Government and which is notified by that Government in this behalf in the Official Gazette; (l) "Secretary" means a Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra and includes a Special Secretary, an Additional Secretary and a Joint Secretary.
<span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>a</i>) "action" means action taken by way of decision, recommendation or finding or in any other manner and includes failure to act; and all other expressions connoting action shall be construed accordingly; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(b)</i> "allegation", in relation to a public servant, means any affirmation that such public servant,-<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(i)</i> has abused his position as such to obtain any gain or favour to himself or to any other person or to cause undue harm or hardship to any other person, <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>ii</i>) was actuated in the discharge of his functions as such public servant by personal interest or improper or corrupt motives, or <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>iii</i>) is guilty of corruption, or lack of integrity in his capacity as such public servant; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>c</i>) "competent authority", in relation to a public servant, means,-<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(i)</i> in the case of a Minister or Secretary <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>. .<span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>the Chief Minister, <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>ii</i>) in the case of any other public servant <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>. .<span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>such authority as may be prescribed;<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>d</i>) "grievance" means a claim by a person that he sustained injustice or undue hardship in consequence of maladministration; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>e</i>) "Lokayukta" means a person appointed as the Lokayukta under section 3; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>f</i>) "Upa-Lokayukta" means a person appointed as an Upa-Lokayukta under section 3; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>g</i>) "maladministration" means action taken or purporting to have been taken in the exercise of administrative functions in any case,-<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(i)</i> where such action or the administrative procedure or practice governing such action is unreasonable, unjust, oppressive or improperly discriminatory, or<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>ii</i>) where there has been negligence or undue delay in taking such action, or the administrative procedure or practice governing such action involves undue delay; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>h</i>) "Minister" means a member (other than the Chief Minister) of the Council of Ministers, by whatever name called, for the State of Maharashtra, that is to say, a Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(i)</i> "officer" means a person appointed to a public service or post in connection with the affairs of the State of Maharashtra; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>j</i>) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>k</i>) "public servant" denotes a person falling under any of the descriptions hereinafter following, namely :-<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(i)</i> every Minister referred to in clause (<i>h</i>); <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>ii</i>) every officer referred to in clause <i>(i)</i>;<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>iii</i>) (<i>a</i>) <sup>1</sup>[every President, Vice-President and Councillor of a <i>Zilla Parishad</i>], <sup>2</sup>[Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Member of a Panchyat Samiti], and Chairman of the Standing or any Subjects Committee, constituted under the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchyat Samitis Act, 1961 (Mah. V of 1962); <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(b)</i> <sup>3</sup>[every President, Vice-President and Councillor of a Municipal Council], and Chairman of the Standing or any Subjects Committee, constituted or deemed to be constituted under the <sup>4</sup>[Maharashtra Municipal Councils, <i>Nagar Panchyats</i> and Industrial Townships] Act, 1965 (Mah. XL of 1965); <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><sup>5</sup>[(<i>c</i>) every Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor of all Municipal Corporations and Chairman of Standing or any Subject Committee, constituted under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act (Bom. III of 1888), the City of Nagpur Corporation Act, 1948 (C. P. and Berar II of 1950) and the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 (Bom. LIX of 1949);]<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>iv</i>) every person in the service or pay of,-<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>a</i>) any local authority in the State of Maharashtra, which is notified by the State Government in this behalf in the <i>Official Gazette</i>, <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><i>(b)</i> any corporation (not being local authority) established by or under a State of Provincial Act and owned or controlled by the State Government,<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>c</i>) any Government company within the meaning of section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), in which not less than fifty-one per cent. of the paid up share capital is held by the State Government, or any company which is a subsidiary of a company in which not less than fifty-one per cent. of the paid up share capital is held by the State Government,<br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>d</i>) any society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860), which is subject to the control of the State Government and which is notified by that Government in this behalf in the <i>Official Gazette</i>; <br> <span style="margin-left:15px;"></span><span style="margin-left:15px;"></span>(<i>l</i>) "Secretary" means a Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra and includes a Special Secretary, an Additional Secretary and a Joint Secretary.<br>