The Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Gurugram has refused to interfere with or stay the November 2 election of Management Committee members of the National Media Centre Cooperative House Building Society Ltd, Gurugram.
In his order, Assistant Registrar Parveen Kadiyan said his office cannot interfere with or delay the election process once it has commenced.
In her complaint, Mamta Sudhir Kumar, a member of the society, complained of alleged violations of electoral procedure under the Haryana Cooperative Societies Rules (HCSR), 1989. Kumar’s nomination for the elections had been rejected during scrutiny as it didn’t comply with requirements in the election notification.
She claimed the society had failed to notify relevant authorities 60 days prior to the elections, as mandated by HCSR Rule 25. She said the Managing Committee appointed Dr John Dayal as Returning Officer for the election without prior approval from the Registrar. She also complained that a valid voter list has not been prepared or displayed in accordance with legal requirements.
In his response to the complaint, Dr Dayal said the election process has followed all legal requirements. He said he was appointed after receiving consent from the Managing Committee, and a formal notification was issued inviting nominations on September 10, 2025.
During a hearing held on October 28, representatives from the Managing Committee reiterated the legitimacy of the election process, insisting that all steps were taken in compliance with statutory timelines. With the Managing Committee’s term expiring on November 15, 2025, the elections are critical for the society and are in its final stages.
The Assistant Registrar directed both parties to maintain decorum and ensure peaceful and transparent conduct of elections. The order said disputes can be addressed after the elections.
The National Media Centre is a prestigious society in Gurugram whose members have included media and academic personalities like former President KR Narayanan, Prof Bipan Chandra, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, veteran editors Suman Dubey, Inderjit Badhwar, TN Ninan, Raj Chengappa, Bidyut Sarcar, Prof Biman Bihari Sen, ML Kotru, TCA Raghavan, Prof TK Oommen, BBC Green Oscar winners Mike and Ishwar Pandey, Film-maker Kalyan Mukherji, former PMO adviser and PIB chief Ram Mohan Rao.