HC stays co-op poll results

THE MP High Court on Friday declined to stay the elections to around 4525 primary cooperative societies in the State but restrained the authority concerned from declaring the results. The court issued a notice to the State Government and asked for reply by March 1.

THE MP High Court on Friday declined to stay the elections to around 4525 primary cooperative societies in the State but restrained the authority concerned from declaring the results. The court issued a notice to the State Government and asked for reply by March 1.

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Cooperative societies have about 40 lakh members. The court observed that the process has already been set in motion for the first phase of election to be held on February 12.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Justice K K Lahoti, issued the order while hearing petitions seeking a stay on the election. The petitions pointed out that there were ‘massive’ irregularities in the voters’ lists and the same needed revision before holding elections.

The petitions said that it was not wise on the part of the State Government to hold fresh elections to the primary cooperative societies after removing the elected members to various bodies.

The petitions claimed that the Government’s move for elections in the cooperative societies was against the terms of memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by it in November 2006 with the Union Government and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), wherein the State Government had to lessen its hold on the cooperative societies.

The State Government, by signing the MoU, would get loans for revival of the cooperative societies facing financial crunch, the petitions said.The petitioners included Kunwar Manohar Singh, Harikaran, Dashrath Singh, Shankar Pratap Singh and R P Sharma.