Mumbai News: Green Garden CHS Chairman, Secretary Disqualified For Failing To Hold AGM On Time In Chembur

The Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, M Division, Mumbai, has ordered the disqualification of the ex -Chairman and Secretary of Green Garden Apartment Co-operative Housing Society Ltd. in Chembur for failing to convene the Annual General Meeting (AGM) within the stipulated timeframe, thereby committing violations of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960.

The order passed has disqualified the ex chairman Nitin Chaudhary and Jayshree Vishwanathan (Secretary) from holding any committee position for a period of one year from April 2025.

The  complainant, Gaurav Chopra, had filed his complaint  on December 12, 2024, containing several allegations.

Following the complaint, an inspection was conducted by a Cooperative Officer, Dhanraj Pawar, whose report’s confirmed that the AGM for 2023-24 had not been held. Following the same a show cause notice was subsequently issued to the managing committee members on December 30, 2024. The managing committee, denied the allegations, stating that a notice for the AGM on January 5, 2025, was issued on December 18, 2024, even before receiving the show cause notice. They argued that the AGM was initially scheduled for September 26, 2024, but was postponed due to requests from members for a weekend meeting and ambiguities regarding major transactions and capital gains tax issues for the financial year 2023-24, necessitating an internal audit. Rather the reply claimed that Chopra allegedly was a was the mastermind behind the fraud.

Meanwhile Chopra in his defence submitted that the postponement of the AGM was a joint decision of the managing committee, and it is mandatory under the MCS Act to hold the AGM before September 30. He alleged misappropriation of funds , thereby presented evidence of the society's financial statements, which were not being accepted at the AGM held on January 5, 2025, indicating alleged mismanagement.

The Deputy Registrar concluded that the reasons provided for postponing the AGM were not reasonable. It was determined that the Chairman and Secretary failed to convene the AGM within the prescribed time, violating Section 75(1) of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960.

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