Three former office bearers of Oberoi Splendor Cooperative Housing Society located on Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road have been disqualified from holding any committee positions in cooperative societies for the next five years. This decision comes after they failed to comply with the orders to issue share certificates to the society members.
The disqualification of the ex-chairman Vikram Bharwada, secretary Arun Kumar P, and treasurer Prasad Dhonde was enacted by the Deputy Registrar of K East Ward, Sambhaji Nikam, under section 154B-23 of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies (MCS) Act. The action was taken following their continuous refusal to issue a share certificate to member T.S. Natarajan, despite the Bombay High Court’s judgment and a specific directive from the deputy registrar.
This case gained attention when the registrar, earlier in November 2023, ordered a re-audit of the society’s accounts after discovering discrepancies in the previously submitted audit reports by these office bearers.
In retaliation to the legal and authoritative actions, the affected members have faced hostility within the society. “We have a beautiful housing complex, but such individuals bring disrepute,” said Natarajan, who also highlighted the misleading propaganda spread by the managing committee against him.
Another society member, Sudhir Agarwal, faced similar issues as he struggled to receive his share certificate. Agarwal’s persistent complaints to the registrar highlighted the non-cooperation of the committee members, which ultimately led to him finally receiving his certificate.
Agarwal also noted that the claims of pending dues by the society, which were allegedly based on bogus bills, were dismissed by the Registrar. Despite this, the harassment continued, showing a pattern of defiance by the committee members against legitimate complaints.
Advocate Mohit Bhardwaj, representing both Natarajan and Agarwal, emphasized the importance of the MCS Act amendments, ensuring that the registrar’s orders are enforced. “The orders of disqualification set a precedent, proving that society members can hold managing committees accountable,” stated Bhardwaj.
This ruling serves as a stern warning to cooperative society committees, underlining the necessity of adherence to legal directives and ethical management.