Plea in Bombay HC challenges govt decision to postpone polls for cooperative societies

An agriculturist from Sangli moved the Bombay High Court last Saturday, challenging the order of the Maharashtra government to postpone elections to cooperative societies, including housing societies, district central cooperative banks and sugar factories, and giving an extension of three months to the existing managing committees of the units.

The writ plea, filed by Arun Yashwant Kulkarni (72), also a member of a cooperative society in Tasgaon in Sangli, challenged the June 17 order and the July 10 ordinance issued by the government.

In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state had postponed elections to all cooperative societies till September 17, impacting 83,000 cooperative housing societies.

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The petition stated that administrators should be appointed for the cooperative societies, as the term of their managing committees had ended and the law did not have any provision for extension of the same.

The HC is likely to hear the plea on Thursday.