After months of a bitter leadership battle at the Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA), actor Upasana Singh says a court ruling has favoured her faction, paving the way for her committee to take charge on October 27. The takeover follows a dispute involving rival elections and court proceedings, even as Singh has alleged that fixed deposits worth ₹73 lakh belonging to the association were broken and the money transferred to another account. She says member welfare and the recovery of the funds will be among the committee’s priorities.
“After such a long fight, when everyone said that Upasana Singh should be the president, it showed the confidence people have in me. I am looking forward to working with them for the betterment of the organisation,” Singh, who previously served as CINTAA’s general secretary, tells us.
How did the dispute begin?
The row began in August when 11 executive committee members resigned amid differences with then-president Poonam Dhillon and senior vice-president Padmini Kolhapure over the association’s functioning. Singh maintains that the previous committee stood dissolved following the resignations on August 7. Fresh elections were held on September 12 under the supervision of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), with Singh securing the highest number of votes. However, Dhillon and Kolhapure’s faction challenged the legitimacy of the polls, taking the dispute to court.
What happened in court?
{{/usCountry}}What happened in court?
{{/usCountry}}While the September election was allowed to proceed subject to pending legal proceedings, the rival faction held a separate election on October 20. The Bombay High Court subsequently restrained the faction from acting on those results and issued a contempt show-cause notice over alleged violations of its earlier directions.
“The decision was supposed to come on October 26, but they conducted the election on October 20. On October 21, we filed a contempt petition. The judge got very upset and asked them to explain how this did not amount to contempt of court. They (Padmini and Poonam) have to give an explanation on November 18,” Singh says.
Singh says the court’s decision has strengthened her faith in the judicial process. “When the judge came to know about all of this, he ruled in our favour. The verdict has only strengthened my trust in our legal system. I have always believed our judicial system is not weak. My faith has increased even more,” she says.
Her committee assumed charge on October 27. “On October 27, we took charge and formed our committee with a hawan. There was a lot of negativity, and so much bad was happening over the past few months. We performed the puja and started our work. Now we have to focus on the members and make sure they get the help they need,” she adds.
What about the ₹73 lakh?
Singh has also raised allegations concerning CINTAA’s finances. “The person who used to look after our accounts told us that FDs worth ₹73 lakh had been broken. This is the money of CINTAA’s actors. Four banks did not allow the accounts to operate freely, but Punjab National Bank opened an account, and the money was transferred there,” she alleges.
Asked whether her committee intends to recover the funds, Singh says, “Definitely. That is why this fight is going on. They know that we will recover it. We cannot let the money of members, which has been accumulated over so many years, go like this. The money should have been spent on their welfare, their medical needs and the problems of needy members. Instead, they have spent it all. We do not even know how much more money they have transferred to that account.”
She also alleges that important association documents were moved elsewhere, affecting its functioning. “The loss has only been that of the members. Their money has gone, and their papers have been taken to another place. If the papers had not gone, the FD would not have been broken,” she says.
What are the committee’s priorities now?
Singh says the new committee also intends to address delays in payments to members. “B N Tiwari ji, the president, and Ashok Dubey ji, the general secretary of the federation, promised us that once our committee comes in, they will help our members get their payments in two or three days. There are many members who work for three, four or five days and then have to wait for 90 days for their payment. If the federation can get those payments released in two or three days instead of making them wait for three months, it will solve a very big problem,” she says.
When contacted, Dhillon said the matter was sub judice and declined to comment further. Kolhapure also said, “The matter is sub judice, so we can’t say anything at this point.”
CINTAA’s new committee - who holds what post
President: Upasana Singh
General Secretary: Deepak Varadarajan
Treasurer: Nagma
Senior Vice-President: Shaila Chadda
Vice-President: Vikas Verma
Senior Joint Secretary: Punita Gandhi
Senior General Secretary: Varsha Kapoor
The CINTAA row so far
August 7: Eleven committee members resign amid differences with then-president Poonam Dhillon and then-senior vice-president Padmini Kolhapure.
September 12: Upasana Singh tops the FWICE-supervised polls. The rival faction disputes their validity.
October 20: Dhillon and Kolhapure’s faction holds a separate election.
October 22: The Bombay High Court issues a contempt show-cause notice over the rival election.
October 27: Singh says her committee assumes charge after performing a hawan and puja.
November 18: Dhillon and Kolhapure are expected to explain their position in response to the contempt proceedings, according to Singh.