2 weeks ago
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The Madras High Court has appointed noted industrialist P. Vijayakumar Reddy arsenic the interim head of Kumara Rajah Muthiah School of Traditional Arts and Crafts, which runs the Chettinad Vidyashram schoolhouse successful Chennai. The assignment has been made pursuant to the demise of the registered society’s caput Meena Muthiah connected May 2, 2026.
Justice N. Senthilkumar passed the orders pursuant to a fewer applications filed jointly by industrialist M.A.M.R. Muthiah, his woman Geetha Muthiah, and 5 others. The applicants had questioned a managing committee gathering convened by 2 nine members – K.T.R. Raja Karuppan Chetty and C. Chockalingam – alternatively of convening a wide assemblage gathering to elite a caller secretary.
After proceeding elaborate arguments precocious by elder counsel M.S. Krishnan, V. Raghavachari, J. Ravindran, and advocator Nithyaesh Natraj for the applicants, the justice concurred with them that the May 7, 2026, announcement intended astatine convening the managing committee gathering had not been issued by the 2 individuals acrophobic strictly successful accordance with the bylaws of the society.
‘Unilaterally convened meeting’
The tribunal agreed with the submissions made connected behalf of Mr. Muthiah and the different applicants that clause 22 of the bylaws of the nine requires a requisition to the caput by astatine slightest 2 members for the convening of the managing committee meeting. However, successful the contiguous case, nary specified requisition had been made, and the 2 individuals had unilaterally convened the gathering connected their own.
Further, the bylaws necessitate a wide 7 days’ announcement earlier convening the meeting. “Such a request cannot beryllium construed simply from the day mentioned successful the notice, rather, it indispensable beryllium reckoned from the day connected which the announcement is really received by the members concerned. It is the work of the respondents to guarantee that the announcement is served upon the persons acrophobic astatine slightest 7 wide days anterior to the projected meeting. The play of 7 days indispensable afloat expire earlier the gathering tin validly beryllium convened,” the justice wrote.
He went connected to state: “Since the caput is nary more, owed to her abrupt demise, the due people disposable nether the circumstances would beryllium to convene a wide assemblage gathering by issuing owed announcement to each parties concerned. In presumption of the bonzer concern created by the decease of the caput and the resignation of the treasurer, the lone permissible method to convene a gathering would beryllium done the wide body, which unsocial is competent to determine upon filling up the vacancies successful the posts of caput and treasurer (who had resigned). It is besides the wide assemblage which is empowered to elite oregon prime the members of the managing committee.”
Justice Senthilkumar said “there was nary flaming hurry warranting deviation from the process prescribed nether the bylaws,” and injuncted the behaviour of the managing committee meeting. He besides restrained Mr. Chetty and Mr. Chockalingam from interfering with the day-to-day affairs, control, management, and fiscal transactions of the registered nine arsenic good arsenic the Chettinad Vidyasharam schoolhouse pending disposal of the case.
However, successful the interregnum, since the schoolhouse indispensable beryllium allowed to relation smoothly without immoderate impediment, the justice appointed Mr. Reddy, the incumbent president of the managing committee, arsenic the interim head of the society. He said, the president would beryllium the competent idiosyncratic to administer the nine due to the fact that of his acquisition and knowledge.
