The Sole Arbitrator Vriti Anand has reserved the order in the case of reorganization of constituencies in NCUI filed by National Labor Co-op Federation NLCF and Ashok Dabas. The Arbitrator is likely to pronounce the judgement either on Monday or Tuesday, a source keeping an eye on the development says.
While the argument on the main petition is yet to begin, NCUI represented before the Arbitrator that the case is not maintainable and Central Registrar has no jurisdiction to pass orders stopping the NCUI Board from taking any decision on elections.
Three hearings have taken place on the issue of maintainability of the case with the last one concluding on Thursday at the Naraina Vihar, Delhi. The arbitrator reserved the verdict after hearing the two sides.
Petitioners argue that Section 84 of MSCS Act 2002 empowers the Central Registrar to intervene in cases of disputes between members of the societies. NCUI has contested the same. The NCUI Board is again meeting on Monday.
The GC meeting was scheduled for Monday, in the hope that by then some judgement from the Arbitrator would have enabled NCUI to take a call on the issue of the NCUI elections. But that does not seem possible with the Arbitrator deciding to reserve the verdict. NCUI’s earlier meeting at Amritsar had similarly failed to take place.
The tenure of the current board is ending in March 2020. Earlier, ordering the NCUI not to take any election-related decision, Sole Arbitrator had observed that the Claimants have been able to establish a prima-facie case for grant of ad-interim order and it is directed that the Respondent shall not take any decision regarding election for the constitution of the Governing Council.
Petitioners have argued that the reorganization of constituencies done at NCUI recently is aimed at weakening the cooperative movement in the country. The changes are sure to further weaken the representation of weaker sections cooperatives in the apex co-op body of the Indian Cooperative Movement, charges Ashok Dabas.
Talking to Indian Cooperative Dabas said that, among other things, a few of the leaders of NCUI gerrymander constituencies in a manner that would ensure their own entry at the apex body without caring for the overall growth of the co-op movement which NCUI spearheads in the country.
The clubbing of several important co-op sectors into one which includes housing, dairy, sugar, consumer along with the weaker sectors such as labour, fisheries and tribal co-operatives would leave many sectors without a representation in NCUI, reads the petition.