MARGAO
In what is considered a setback to the present committee of the United Tribals Associations Alliance (UTAA) headed by president Prakash Velip, the District Registrar and Inspector General of Societies (South), has issued interim orders temporarily restraining Prakash Velip and others from functioning as executive members of UTAA till further orders.
District Registrar and Inspector General of Societies (South) Suraj Vernekar has on Friday issued an order of injunction on the UTAA Committee headed by Prakash Velip has further restrained the panel from holding any meeting under the banner of UTAA or using name, seal or holding any meetings under UTAA banner until the final disposal of the petition filed by member associations.
The Inspector has posted the matter for final hearing of arguments later this month.
The temporary injunction has been issued by the Inspector on a petition jointly filed by a coalition of Scheduled Tribe (ST) organisations, which had challenged the legality of the current executive Council of the United Tribals Associations Alliance (UTAA).
After filing the petition a month ago, Govind Shirodkar of the Gawada, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Federation had told the media that the petitioners have raised a host of allegations, including the allegation of violation of UTAA’s bye-laws by the panel headed by Prakash Velip.
In fact, the petition has challenged the validity of the election allegedly held on September 30, 2022, with the petitioners claiming that no proper notice was served to member associations, further contending that a number of names listed as attendees or members are fraudulent or not affiliated with the alliance.
One of the main prayer in the petition filed before the District Registrar by the ST organisations is to declare the 2022 election result as null and void, the appointment of an independent Administrator, immediate audit of financial records. They have also prayed for ad-interim relief restraining the current executive council from functioning.
