K. RAMESH REDDY Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Since the petitioner in all these cases is one and the same and as the issues in these Writ Petitions are interrelated, this Court deems it appropriate to dispose of these Writ Petitions by way of this common order.

(2.) In Writ Petition No.9214 of 2021, the action of the Secretary and Director General, The Institute of Engineers (India), Kolkata, in not holding Council Meeting, Extraordinary General Meeting, Special General Meeting on time, i.e., November/ December, 2020, and instead extending the term of the President, Vice President and Council Members by one year and further extending the term by one year is under challenge.

(3.) According to the petitioner, the Institute of Engineers (India), Kolkata, is a Central Government registered society which came into being in the year 1920 and incorporated under Royal Charter, 1935, and its object is to promote and advance the Engineering, Science and Technology. According to the petitioner, he is a Member of the Institute of Engineers for the last 30 years with Fellow Membership No.F-121765-4 and is associated with Tirupathi Centre and he was also an elected Executive Committee Member in Andhra Pradesh State Centre, Vijayawada, for the sessions 2019-20 and 2020-21. According to the petitioner, the term of members of the Executive Council, including the President, came to an end on 30/12/2020, but vide notice dtd. 17/7/2020, Secretary and Director General, while postponing the elections, which was scheduled to be held in 2020, by one year, extended the term of Council and State/Local Centres upto 2021 on the ground of Covid-19. According to the petitioner, the said action is without any authority of law and respondent Nos.3 and 4 have no power to postpone the elections and the impugned action is also contrary to the Bye-laws. In the above background, these Writ Petitions came to be filed at various stages.