Chennai: The Madras high court has dismissed as withdrawn, a public interest litigation, which sought to quash the notification for the co-operative societies election and to provide reservation for women and SC/ST communities in the post of chairman of such societies.
Justice K. Ravichandrabaabu dismissed as withdrawn, a PIL filed by S. Gnanasoundari, a member of the agricultural co-operative society of Kokkaladi in Thiruvarur district.
In her petition, Gnanasoundari submitted that in elections to the co-operative societies in Tamil Nadu, the reservation was provided to women and SC/ST communities only to the posts of directors of such societies but not for the post of chairman. The purpose of such reservation cannot be achieved, if the post of chairman was exempted, she added.
When the petition came up for hearing, after Justice Ravichandrabaabu pointed out that the election process, which has already commenced, cannot be stalled and that the court would dismiss the petition as the main prayer itself was to stall the election, the petitioner requested the court to permit her to withdraw the petition.
Similarly, five members of Thakkolam Primary Agricultural Co-operative Credits Society have approached the Madras high court alleging large-scale irregularities were being committed by the officials and election officers in collusion with the ruling party, enabling the candidates fielded by them to be declared as winning candidates.
According to C. Ashok Kumar and 4 others, they filed their nominations on March 26 before the election officer and the same were received and acknowledgements were given to them.
But, later, in the night hours on March 27, a list of 11 candidates only has been affixed in the notice board, as if the candidates belonging to the ruling party were only eligible candidates.
They also learnt that about 53 candidates' nominations were illegally rejected. But, no order of rejection was served them. Hence, they filed the present petition to include their nominations on the list and conduct the election for the board of directors of the society, they added.
