The Gujarat High Court has directed the Surat District Collector to undertake the process of delimitation of constituencies for elections to the managing committee of the Surat Tapi District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd. (SUMUL), in accordance with the Gujarat Specified Cooperative Societies (Election to Committees) Rules, 1982.
Justice Aniruddha P. Mayee issued the direction while partly allowing a Special Civil Application filed by Kathor Mahila Milk Producers Cooperative Society Ltd. and others, who had sought delimitation of constituencies in line with the Union’s bye-laws prior to the conduct of elections.
The petitioners submitted that the term of the managing committee elected in 2020 expired in August 2025 and that significant territorial changes had taken place pursuant to government notifications issued in 2020 and 2024, under which several villages and talukas were included within the limits of Surat city. It was contended that these changes were not reflected in the existing constituency boundaries, resulting in discrepancies in the provisional voters’ list published on March 31, 2025.
The High Court observed that the provisional voters’ list reflected 17 constituencies, which appeared to be inconsistent with the Union’s bye-laws. The Court further noted that material changes in the territorial limits of Surat and Tapi districts had not been taken into consideration while describing constituency boundaries.
Referring to Rule 3A of the 1982 Election Rules, the Court held that the District Collector is required to examine and approve the delimitation of constituencies prior to the publication of the voters’ list when elections are scheduled before the end of the accounting year. It noted that no such exercise had been undertaken in the present case.
Accordingly, the Court directed the Surat District Collector to take appropriate steps under Rule 3A(9) of the Election Rules within three weeks from receipt of the order. The authorities were further directed to proceed with the election process expeditiously thereafter, noting that the term of the managing committee had already expired.
The petition was allowed to the aforesaid extent, with no order as to costs.
