IN A major boost to the ruling body of the Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA), Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has ordered restoration of voting rights of ‘51 life members’ in elections to the association.
Former VHA secretary Shyam Sharma had moved court in November 2016, two days before the association’s elections, claiming the newly added 51 life members as illegal. He demanded removal of the new life members who were included in the voters’ list for the 2016 elections.
The 51 life members were included in voters’ list in October 2016, acting on an order passed by Deputy Charity Commissioner in May 2015.
Sharma had approached the High Court requesting to set aside the Deputy Charity Commissioner’s order as it was presented before the executive committee on the day when elections were declared.
For the record, VHA secretary DS Karunashankar presented the order to the VHA executive 16 months after it was passed.
The High Court, on November 26, 2016 has granted stay on the Deputy Charity Commissioner’s order of granting membership and voting rights to 51 new members. It led to postponement of the elections by then election officer Shrigopal Soni, who claimed lack of legal clarity on HC order.
After months of legal battle, the High Court passed order in favour of VHA Secretary DS Karunashankar, on Tuesday.
“The Honourable High Court has passed the order in our favour. The court has allowed 51 life members to participate and vote in the elections,” Karunashankar told ‘The Hitavada’ on Tuesday afternoon.
VHA’s election is now likely to be held after Diwali. “We will plan to hold the elections after Diwali, may be in November,” said president Radheshyam Sarda.
THE ‘NEW 51 MEMBERS’
RC Nema, NM Dakaha, Tanvir Ahmed, BAR Naidu, Shoeb Parvez, Shankar Manchandioa, Raju Joseph, Apurva Sarkar, BR Naidu, RS Trivedi, SN Mishra, Surendra Mishra, KR Reddy, Suhail Arshad, Pradeep Nagarkar, Sunil Agrawal, Sanjay Pande, VB Datarkar, MA Waheed, Amresh Pramanik, Dilip Chougule, Dharamraj Kanojiya, Ashok Yadav, Satdev Mahadule, SR Tiwari, Prabhat Singh, Shailendra Jhazed, CS Iyer, Bernard Ekka, Gopal Thapa, MZ Beg, Altaf Ahmed, S Biswas, Rampal Thakur, Shyam Dubey, Imtiyaz Rizvi, Anil Daral, HB Kedar, Oswald Joseph, Madhu Salve, IC Sachdeva, Shyam Arora, Anjan Dey, VA Khan, MV Khan, A Salim, Mahendra Lakhanpal, Sushil Surve, Shaket Ali, PS Rajeshwar Rao, KT Bose.
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How the life members got back in VHA fold
On September 12, 1989, Joint Charity Commissioner Office, Nagpur had ordered GM Pillay to work as Incharge secretary of VHA after two change reports, one by the elected body and another by TN Sidhra (who had lost the secretary’s post in the elections), were filed with the competent authority.
The elected body then called an executive committee meeting on September 17, 1989 and it was decided to enroll 51 new life members. Since then till 2004, VHA was run by late Balraj Aher as President and GM Pillay as its Incharge secretary. Then in 2004-05 Arun Kokane of Gondia Hockey Association brought an order from Joint Charity Commissioner to hold elections of the association and a fresh body was elected then (in 2005).
But the court’s order also stated that the list of voters which was used in 1987 will be used in 2005 polls.
After the new VHA body took charge, GM Pillay submitted a letter on September 3, 2005, stating that during his tenure (in 1989) 51 life members were enrolled and the same should be added to the list used during the 2005 polls. But several members opposed it and Aher and Pillay had no other option but to move court.
Pillay submitted all the relevant documents and copy of minutes of the executive meeting during which new members were enrolled, to the court.
After years of legal battle, the Deputy Charity Commissioner office passed the order on May 25, 2015 in Pillay’s favour and asked the association to incorporate all the 51 members.
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