Uttarakhand High Court
Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy ... vs Deep Chandra Singh Dangi And ... on 7 December, 2022
IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL
THE CHIEF JUSTICE SHRI VIPIN SANGHI
AND
JUSTICE SHRI RAMESH CHANDRA KHULBE
Special Appeal No. 369 of 2022
With
Delay Condonation Application (IA/2/2022)
Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy Federation Limited and
Another
......Appellants
Vs.
Deep Chandra Singh Dangi and Others ......Respondents
Presence: -
Mr. Shobhit Saharia, learned counsel for the petitioners.
Mr. Sandeep Tiwari, learned counsel for respondent no.1.
Mr. K.N. Joshi, learned Deputy Advocate General for the State.
JUDGMENT (Oral: Shri Vipin Sanghi, C.J.)
There is delay of 40 days in filing the present
special appeal. For the reasons stated in the application
and since there is no opposition to the said condonation of
delay, we allow the delay condonation application
(IA/2/2022).
2. We have heard Mr. Saharia on the aspects raised
in the last order by us on 28.11.2022. This judgment be
read in continuation of the said order.
3. The submission of Mr. Saharia is that Bye-law 33
of the Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy Federation Bye-laws,
2004 prescribes that the quorum of the Managing
Committee shall be 8 members, out of whom, 4 elected
members should be present. Mr. Saharia submits that even
for an adjourned meeting, where the quorum is reduced to
50%, the essential requirement of 4 elected members,
remaining present, continues to apply. He submits that
50% reduction in the quorum relates to the other
nominated members.
4. We may note that the Managing Committee
consists of 15 members of whom nine are elected
members; two are nominated by the State Government;
one is nominated by the National Dairy Development
Board; one is nominated by the Registrar (Director, Dairy
Development); one is nominated by the financial
institution, and; one is the Managing Director/Secretary of
the Society ex-officio.
5. We do not find merit in the submission of Mr.
Saharia. For the adjourned meeting the quorum stands
reduced to 4 i.e. 50% of the quorum prescribed for a
meeting. Therefore, the requirement of presence of the
elected members also stands reduced by 50%. Otherwise
the bye-law would have specifically provided that at least 4
elected members of the Managing Committee should
always remain present.
6. In the Managing Committee of the appellant-
federation, even if the submission of Mr. Saharia that out
of 9, 5 elected members had tendered their resignation
were to be accepted, there still remain 4 elected members.
Mr. Saharia submits that all these 4 ceased to remain
members of the Managing Committee, due to the fact that
their delegations by their respective primary societies have
come to an end. To this, the submission of the learned
counsel for the respondent is that the appellant had itself
filed the documents along with its review application, to
show that 3 elected members, apart from the respondent-
writ petitioner-Deep Chandra Singh Dangi, continue in
office.
7. In this regard, attention of the Court has been
drawn to the communication dated 10.12.2021 which reads
as follows:-
"कायार्लय उ�राखण्ड सहकार� डेर� फेडेरेशन �ल0, हल्�ानी (नैनीताल)।
पत्रांकः 1784 / �व�ध / प्रबंध स�म�त-यू.सी.ड�.एफ. / 2021-22 �दनांक 10 �दसम्बर, 2021
सेवा म�,
�नदेशक/�नबन्धक,
डेर� �वकास �वभाग, उ�राखण्ड,
हल्�ानी (नैनीताल)।
�वषय:- फेडेरेशन क� प्रबंध स�म�त क� �नवार्�चत सदस्य� क� अहर्ता/अनहर्ता क� वतर्मान
िस्थ�त के सम्बन्ध म�।
महोदय,
कृपया उपरो� �वषयक अवगत कराना है �क उ�राखण्ड सहकार� डेर� फेडेरेशन �ल०.
हल्�ानी क� प्रबंध स�म�त सदस्य� तथा सभाप�त/उपसभाप�त का �नवार्चन Øमश:
14.12.2018 एवं �दनांक 15.12.2018 को सम्पन्न हुआ था। उ� �नवार्चन म� �नवार्�चत
प्रबंध स�म�त सदस्य� तथा सभाप�त / उपसभाप�त क� अहर्ता / अनहर्ता संबंधी �नम्नानुसार
संबं�धत जनपद� �ारा अवगत कराया गया है-
Ø० �दनांक 14 व �पता/ प�त का तत्समय दुग्ध संघ / संबं�धत दुग्ध संघ / जनपद� से प्रा�
सं० 15.12.2018 को नाम �नवार्�चत पद जनपद का नाम �ववरणानुसार वतर्मान म� वास्त�वक िस्थ�त
�नवार्�चत प्रबंध नाम (सदस्य
स�म�त सदस्य� / सभाप�त/
का नाम उपसभाप�त)
1. श्रीमती रेखा श्री �दनेश सभाप�त चमोली दुग्ध संबं�धत प्राथ �मक दुग्ध स�म�त म�
देवी �संह संघ मात्र 04 सदस्य अहर् होने के कारण ,
स�म�त म� �नवार्चन नह�ं हो पाया ,
िजसके फलस्वरूप स�म�त स्तर पर
पुनः प्र�त�न�ध �नवार्�चत न होने के
कारण अनहर् ।
2. श्री �दनेश श्री जोधा उप अल्मोड़ा दुग्ध संबं�धत प्राथ�मक दुग्ध स�म�त ,
चन्द्र �संह �संह डांगी सभाप�त संघ डांगीखोला का कायर्काल �दनांक
डांगी 05.08.2020 को पूणर् होने से पूवर् ,
स�म�त म� �नवार्चन न होने के कारण,
स�म�त म� प्रशासक �नयु� �कया
गया।
उ� दुग्ध स�म�त म� �दनांक
18.09.2021 को �नवार्चन सम्पन्न
हुआ, िजसम� श्री �दनेश चन्द्र �संह
डांगी प्र�त�न�ध �नवार्�चत हुए ह�।
3. श्री नत्थी श्री माघ सदस्य नई �टहर� �व�ीय वषर् 2020-21 म� स�म�त म�
�संह �संह दुग्ध संघ दूध मात्रा व दूध देने क� �नधार्�रत
�दन� क� संख्या कम होने के कारण
अनहर् ।
4. श्री रणबीर श्री नौबत सदस्य ह�र�ार दुग्ध अहर्
�संह �संह संघ
5. श्री राम श्री सुनील सदस्य उधम�संहनगर उधम�संहनगर दुग्ध संघ म� प्रबंध
पाण्डे पाण्डे दुग्ध संघ स�म�त के स्थान पर �दनांक 25
�सतम्बर, 2021 को प्रशासक �नयु�
�कया जा चुका है।
6. श्रीमती मंजू श्री गंगा सदस्य उधम�संहनगर -तदSव-
देवी सागर दुग्ध संघ
7. श्री �वजय श्री धूम सदस्य देहरादून दुग्ध अहर् ।
रमोला चन्द्र संघ
8. श्रीमती हरू श्री महेन्द्र सदस्य �पथौरागढ संबं�धत दुग्ध स�म�त का कायर्काल
देवी �संह दुग्ध संघ पूणर् हो जाने के कारण अनहर् ।
9. श्रीमती श्री हषर्प�त सदस्य श्रीनगर अहर् ।
सते�र� देवी कैaथ
a ोला गढ़वाल दुग्ध
कैaथ
a ोला संघ
उपरो�ानुसार फेडेरेशन क� प्रबंध स�म�त म� �नवार्�चत 09 सदस्य� म� मात्र 03 �नवार्�चत
सदस्य अहर् ह�। अतः उपरो� प�रप्रे�य म� अनुरोध है �क सहकार� स�म�त अ�ध�नयम, 2003
सहप�ठत �नयमावली, 2004 के अन्तगर्त �नयमानुसार अग्रे�र कायर्वाह� करने का क� कर�।
�नवार्चन अ�धकार� �ारा घो�षत प्रबंध स�म�त �नवार्�चत सदस्य� का �ववरण तथा संबं�धत दुग्ध संघ�
से प्रा� सूचनाओं क� प्र�तयां सुलभ संदभर् हेतु संलग्न है।
संलग्न :- यथो�।
भवद�य,
(जयद�प अरोड़ा)
प्रबंध �नदेशक"
8. Mr. Saharia has submitted that subsequently, on
a query raised by the Registrar, Cooperative Societies it
has been stated by the appellant-federation that none of
the elected members continue to remain delegate members
of the federation, since 5 out of the 9 members have
tendered their resignations, and so far as the writ-
petitioner is concerned, the submission of Mr. Saharia is
that his tenure in the primary society ended on
05.08.2020. At the same time, he states that the writ-
petitioner was re-elected by his primary society as a
delegate on the appellant-federation.
9. Mr. Tiwari has drawn out attention to Rule 85 of
the Uttarakhand Cooperative Societies Rules, 2004. The
said rule states that a delegate once elected on the General
Body of a cooperative society shall continue to hold that
office until either the body he represents elects another
delegate in his place or he incurs any of the
disqualifications mentioned in Rule 83 or forfeits his right to
hold that office by virtue of the provision of the bye-laws of
the cooperative society which he represents or in which he
is represented. We reproduce Rule 83 of the aforesaid
Rules which reads as follows:-
"83. A person who is already a delegate of a co-operative society shall
cease to be such delegate, if -
(i) he incurs any disqualification referred to in Rule 81, Sub-rule (i),
or
(ii) he ceases to be a member of the society from which he is
delegate; or
(iii) the society of which he is a delegate, ceases to be a member of
the society in which he is represented; or
(iv) he ceases to be a member of the society which was a member of
such society by which he was elected as a delegate to another co-
operative society ; or
(v) he ceases to hold the office by virtue of which he was a delegate
of the society in terms of the bye-laws of the society; or
(vi) the society of which he was delegate is wound up under Section
72; or
(vii) the society he represents is amalgamated with any other co-
operative society or societies; or
(viii) the society he represents is divided into two or more societies; or
(ix) he resigns his office as such delegate. The resignation letter will
be addressed to the Chairman and will be accepted by the
Committee of Management; or
(x) the society he represents fails to hold election on completion of
its term."
10. On a plain reading of the aforesaid rule along
with Rule 85, it appears to us that there is no material with
the appellant to claim that any of the remaining 4 members
- including the respondent writ-petitioner, has incurred any
disqualification with reference to any of the clauses (i) to
(x) of Rule 83 above. Thus, at least the 4 elected delegates
/ members continue to remain in office, as there is nothing
to show that they have lost their membership of the
appellant federation.
11. It is unfortunate that the appellant-federation
has not been allowed to function in a democratic manner
through its elected representatives from the time the
tenure of the elected representatives commenced in the
year 2018. Though there is a controversy as to whether the
5 elected representatives/ members indeed tendered their
resignations or not, we are not getting into that
controversy. The fact remains that 4 elected
representatives continue to remain in office, and being 4 in
number, the meeting can still be held as the said 4 elected
representatives / members along with the other nominated
members are sufficient to enable holding of the meeting
with the requisite quorum.
12. We, therefore, do not find any merit in the
present special appeal and, accordingly, the same is
dismissed.
_______________
VIPIN SANGHI, C.J.
________________________
RAMESH CHANDRA KHULBE, J.
Dated: 7th December, 2022
KKS/SS
