State and Government in Ancient India c18.s1.55

c18.s1.55

The Government of this village was carried on by five sub-committees of the *sabhā*. All members worked in the honorary capacity and held office for one year. They could, however, be removed earlier, if found guilty of misconduct. It was felt that all experienced and qualified residents of the village should get an opportunity to serve on the various subcommittees ; one of the rules, therefore, provided that a member who had served once on a sub-committee was not to be re-appointed to it during the next three years. Persons whose character was loose, or who had been found guilty of mis-appropriation of public funds, were debarred from member-ship as also their near relatives. The bar against the latter was obviously intended for increasing the volume of public opinion against those who were guilty of defalcation of public funds. Members were to be neither too young nor too old ; their age was to be above 35 but below 70. These negative qualifications, however, were not sufficient. Candidates were required to own a house and at least ¼ *vēli* (about two acres) of tax-paying land. It was felt that those who deal with public funds should be persons above need. But the property quali-fications were halved in the case of those who were good scholars either of the Vedic learning, or of Smṛitis, or of *bhāshyas* (philo-sophy). It was but natural that an *agrahāra* community should be anxious that its representatives on the different village com-mittees should be, as far as possible, well-to-do scholars, of good character and known rectitude. It is worth noting that no government officers were included in these committees. *Mahattarādhikārins*, who formed the village council in the Deccan, are also sharply distinguished from regular government officers in the inscriptions hailing from that province.