HC directive in coop. bank cases

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, SEPT. 20. A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed the steps initiated by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies to supersede the managing committees of the Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kottayam and Kollam district cooperative banks and appoint administrators in their place.

The Bench comprising Mr. Justice P. K. Balasubramanian and Mr. Justice C. N. Ramachandran Nair made it clear that in case the administrators had already taken over from the managing committees of any of the six district cooperative banks, the administration should be put back to the managing committees until further orders.

The directives were issued on writ petitions filed by the managing committees of the Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kottayam and Kollam district cooperative banks. They had challenged the move to supersede them on the ground that they were not entitled to an amendment of the Kerala Cooperative Societies Act enhancing the term of the cooperative societies from three years to five years. According to them, as they had already amended their bylaw extending the terms of their managing committees under the strength of the amended section 28, they could continue in office.

No political motives

Our Special Correspondent adds from Thiruvananthpauram: The Cooperation Minister, Mr. M. V. Raghavan, today denied that his department had been driven by political motives in disbanding the seven district cooperative banks and installing administrative rule.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Raghavan said the Government had ordered the disbanding of the district cooperative banks in the light of the verdict of a Single Bench of the High Court.

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Section  : Southern States
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