Poll of PEC Old Students’ Association challenged

Chandigarh, June 17

A local court has issued notices on the plea challenging the election schedule of the Punjab Engineering College Old Students Association (PECOSA) as well as the appointment of a returning officer. A member of the association, Mohit Shrivastava, has challenged the schedule in a civil suit filed through advocates PK Kukreja and Anshul Kukreja.

In the application, Shrivastava has prayed that ad-interim injunction may be passed restraining the defendants from holding the PECOSA elections for the term 2022 to 2024 on July 3 in terms of election notice dated May 30 during the pendency of the civil suit. He also prays that the defendants may further be restrained from acting in violations to the constitution/bylaws/memorandum of association approved at the annual general meeting in 2017 and against the interest of the Defendant No. 1 (PECOSA) during the pendency of the present civil suit.

Mohit has also prayed to declare that the resolution of April 23, 2022, is arbitrary, unlawful, illegal, null and void, and not in compliance with the memorandum and articles of associations. He prays directives may be issued to convene an annual general meeting and to hold transparent elections for the term 2022-24 in a democratic manner in accordance with the bylaws after finalisation of the voter list. He said PECOSA bylaws, in the shape of a memorandum and articles of the association, were approved at the 2017 annual general meeting, and that defendants are bound to follow the applicable laws, bylaws and rules.

The memorandum and articles of association were made available on the PECOSA website on July 13, 2018, after a lot of efforts and representations.

Shrivastava said a resolution for holding the election was not passed by a majority of the executive committee members/office-bearers. That the executive members and elected members were not taken into confidence in order to enact the aforementioned resolution. As a result, a majority of the members had not signed the resolution. A major goal of the association is to promote and inspire a sense of brotherhood among all former students as well as to enhance the bond of friendship between students, members of the PEC University of Technology faculty,and former students. On this platform, however, PECOSA’s professed goals and objectives are completely defeated.

After hearing the arguments, Dr Aman Inder Singh, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division), in the order says keeping in view the contents mentioned in this application, the application for filing the suit during summer vacation stands allowed. Now, a notice of the suit as well as injunction application be given to the defendants for June 23.