HC issues notice to Chaudhury in Irma case

Responding to the write petition filed by the K Prathap Reddy, Director, Institute of Rural Management-Anand (Irma), the Gujarat High Court issued a notice to Sangramsinh Chaudhury, managing director of Banaskantha Dairy and a member of the Irma Board.

Chaudhury had earlier had filed a petition with the Civil Court in Anand on behalf of Verghese Kurien challenging the order of the Joint Commissioner of Charity (Vadodara Division).

Meanwhile, in another twist to the power struggle, five members of the Board of Governors of the institute have been dropped from the list of Board members called for the crucial meeting of the Board to be held in Anand on April 15.

Kurien had earlier slapped a notice on these members saying that they had ceased to be members of the Board from February 15.

"We have filed a write petition with Justice Kalpesh Jhaveri in the High Court. In response to it, the HC has sent a notice to Chaudhury. The next hearing of the case has been fixed at April 8," said Reddy's advocate, Dhaval Dave.

HC will take up the case three days prior to the final hearing at the Civil Court in Anand.

"The writ petition before HC pleads the suit filed by Chaudhury with the Civil Court in Anand was an abuse of the process of law since similar application was earlier filed by four members of the Irma Board with the Joint Commissioner of Charity (Vadodara Division)," he added.

"We also have sought intervention of the High Court for quashing the order of the Civil Court in Anand delivered on April 1," said Dave.

The Joint Commissioner of Charity (Vadodara Division), B P Hadiya had judged against Kurien lobby and also had upheld the order of Assistant Charity Commissioner, Anand.