Section 79: Maintenance of order at, and admission of public to, meetings; withdrawal and suspension of councillors and alderman.

(1) The Mayor or the person presiding over a meeting shall preserve order threat and shall have all powers necessary for the purpose of preserving such order.

(2) The Mayor or the person presiding over a meeting may direct any councillor or persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the meeting, and any councillor or persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 so directed to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the meeting.

(3) If any councillor or persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 is ordered to withdraw a second time within fifteen days, the Mayor or the person presiding may suspend such councillor or persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 from attending the meetings of the Corporation for any period not exceeding fifteen days and the councillor or persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 so suspended shall absent himself accordingly:

Provided that the Mayor may at any time decide that such suspension be terminated:

Provided further that such suspension shall not debar the suspended councillor or persons referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 from serving on any committee of the Corporation of which he is a member.

(4) Subject to sub-section (5) every meeting shall be open to the public, unless a majority of the members and persons referred to in sub-clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv) of clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 3 present at the meeting decide that any inquiry or deliberation pending before the Corporation shall be held in private.

(5) The Corporation may make regulations for the purpose of admission of the member of the public to its meetings and for the removal by force, if necessary, of any member of the public admitted to a meeting for interrupting or disturbing the proceedings of the meeting.

(6) In the case of grave disorder arising in a meeting the Mayor or the person presiding may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the meeting to a date specified by him.