Prathap Reddy may move HC over civil court locus standi

RUMPUS IN THE INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT-ANAND

K Prathap Reddy, director of Institute of Rural Management-Anand (Irma), who is at a loggerheads with Varghese Kurien, the long-standing chairman of the institute, is likely to move the Gujarat Hight Court this week questioning the power and jurisdiction of the civil court in Anand.

Last week, in an interim decision the civil court in Anand had ordered a status quo on the earlier orders issued by the Joint Commissioner of Charity (Vadodara Division).

A final order on the matter is slated for April 11.

"This is now going to be a long-drawn legal battle as only Gujarat High Court could intervene now in this matter as it is the competent Court to prevail upon the Joint Commissioner of Charity as well as civil court in Anand. If Reddy moves High Court, it is expected that Kurien and his lobby would counter him in the High Court," said a legal expert.

In yet another significant twist to the legal drama, Sangramsinh Chaudhary, one of the prominent members of the board of governors of IRMA and also managing director of Banaskantha Dairy, who had filed a petition on behalf of Kurien, on Thursday with a civil court in Anand, who had sent his resignation letter to Kurien on April 1, sayd "I haven't taken it back".

When asked what made him to resign from the board on Friday, a day after he appeared before the Court in Anand for Kurien, Chaudhary said, "This is an internal matter confined with the dairy cooperatives' family and I would not like to comment any further."

However, a copy of Chaudhary's resignation letter addressed to Kurien, which is with the Business Standard, reveals that Chaudhary had expressed his disappointment over the happenings in Irma.

"This has reference to the recent legal controversy regarding the board meeting held on February 28 and the subsequent developments which have been arising out of the Assistant Charity Commissioner and Joint Charity Commissioner's orders. The developments are very disturbing to me as a person who has graduated from the institute. As a member of the board of governors of Irma, my conscience has been hurt by the activities going around and I believe that the institution's reputation has been tarnished by such developments," Chaudhary said.

"The persons involved are losing magnanimity and nobility of mind and resorting to narrow mindedness of principles and purpose. The emerging picture is not of my dreams about Irma and not palatable to my principles and personality," he added in his resignation letter.

Interestingly, according to the constitution of IRMA, the resignation of a member of the board only would be accepted if the chairman agrees to it.