HC quashes Odisha govt circular on co-operative bodies' polls

The Orissa High Court has quashed the state government circular allowing voting rights to those members who were included for the co-operative societies' elections.
The single-judge bench of Justice Biswanath Rath yesterday directed the State Co-operative Election Commission to issue necessary directions to poll officers in this direction debarring the fresh members from voting right.
The State co-operative election commissioner had issued poll notification on October 27 for elections to 9733 co-operative societies.
Three weeks after, on November 18 the registrar of co-operative societies came out with a government circular allowing voting rights to new members, who were inducted after the election notification was made.

Challenging the government circular, a Kendrapara-based co-operative society member Ajay Kumar Mohanty approached the High Court stating that the Rules governing the elections allow only those voters to participate in the election, who are members of the societies as on the date of the poll notification is made.
There are over 50 lakh cooperative societies' members in the state with all having voting rights provided they have a minimum deposit against their names at the time of election notification.
The election to the societies for a term of five years was held in 2007 with the state deferring the elections although the same were due since 2012.