Gujarat High Court has issued notice to Minister of Cooperation on a petition filed by daughter-in-law of deceased Santokben Jadeja, who was known as “Godmother”, challenging government order of rejecting registration of Milk Producers’ Cooperation Union for women.
Justice C L Soni has last week issued notice to minister Babu Bokhiriya, Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Gujarat government, which are returnable on March 12.
“The petitioner, by way of the present petition, begs to challenge the legality, validity and propriety of the government order dated January 10, 2014, whereby they dismissed the application submitted by the petitioner for the registration of the Milk Producers’ Cooperation Union (MPCU) for women,” the petition by Bindu Jadeja said.
It said that the said action of the respondent (Minister) was ex-facie malicious and a classic example of colourable exercise of powers, “in as much as the petitioner having made a proposal for the registration of the Milk Producers Cooperative Union for women in Porbandar district.” The petition further said that Bokhiriya as the Minister in-charge of the Cooperation Department in the Ministry has abused his offices and powers and got the proposal submitted by petitioner rejected on the ground that one union was already registered.
“The order is ex-facie illegal, arbitrary and violative of Articles 19, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India,” it said.
Jadeja’s petition also alleged that during pendency of the proceeding, Bokhiriya started registration of its own societies.
“Bokhiriya, after the petitioner having submitted proposal with the Registrar, started acting at the jet speed and got 12 cooperative societies registered on February 6, 2013,” the petition alleges.
It states that these 12 cooperative societies have been registered by Bokhiriya through his stooges.
“It is pertinent to note that surreptitiously, the Commissioner of Cooperative Societies vide his order dated April 26, 2013 got the said societies registered,” it said.
However, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, vide his order dated January 10, 2014 rejected the proposal made by the petitioner, it said.
“It may be noted that the petitioner is hailing from the family which is otherwise known for its activities. The mother-in-law of the petitioner – Santokben Sarvan Jadeja was member of the Legislative Assembly. Many things have been stated against her,” the petition said.
The brother-in-law of the petitioner Kandhal Sarmal Jadeja is a sitting member of Legislative Assembly from Kutiyana constituency of Porbandar district, who has been elected as the official candidate of the Nationalist Congress.
Family of the in-laws of the petitioner is also stated with several things, however, the petitioner is not concerned with the said history,” it said.
-PTI
