Elections to The South Indian Artistes’ Association or Nadigar Sangam have been stopped citing violation of rules of the Registrar of Societies of Tamil Nadu.
A letter signed by the District Registrar this morning says that the Sangam has violated rules by taking disciplinary action against some of its members, making them ineligible to vote. According to the letter, of the 44 members who raised complaints against the Sangam, four were suspended. Disciplinary action was taken against 13 others, but they continued to remain members of the Sangam with the right to vote.
Responding to the Sangam’s decision, members wrote to the Registrar saying that as per the rules, they were part of the Sangam and the action was taken without any intimation or proper investigation, with the motive of stopping them from casting their votes.
The letter further states that the existing office-bearers Nasser, Vishal, Karthi and others extended their tenure by over six months and, therefore, don’t have the right to take any decision about the elections. It asks for elections to be postponed until these membership issues are resolved.
Details about who the members are and reasons for disciplinary action against them are not known yet.
மேற்படி சூழ்நிலையில் #siaa #நடிகர்சங்கத் தேர்தலை நடத்துவது ஏற்புடையதாக இல்லை. எனவே தேர்தல் குறித்த நடவடிக்கைகள் தற்காலிகமாக நிறுத்திவைக்கப்படுகிறது. 🙂 சார் பதிவாளர் #இரவீந்திரநாத் #nadigarsangamelection2019 #NadigarSangam #siaaelection2109 pic.twitter.com/FjtkoABT8u
— FridayCinemaa (@FridayCinemaa) June 19, 2019
Election officer E Padmanabhan has put up a notice saying he received information from the Registrar, and all election-related works have been deferred.
According to reports, Vishal’s Pandavar Ani said it will await a decision from the Court tomorrow.
Ishari Ganesh, who is contesting opposite Vishal, said in a press meet that his team does not trust E Padmanabhan to take decisions independently without consulting Vishal.
The Madras High Court took cognizance of the Registrar’s order and also said that since the election stood cancelled, no verdict needed to be given on Vishal’s petition seeking personal security and protection for the elections.
#Breaking பாதுகாப்பு கேட்டு விஷால் தொடர்ந்த வழக்கை, 2 வார காலத்திற்கு ஒத்திவைத்தது உயர்நீதிமன்றம்
* தேர்தல் ரத்து செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதால், மனு மீது தற்போது முடிவெடுக்க வேண்டியதில்லை – உயர்நீதிமன்றம்#Vishal | #HighCourt | #NadigarSangam pic.twitter.com/DsyIGjZTqV
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) June 19, 2019
Members such as Radha Ravi and SVe Sekhar have been saying in interviews that elections would be stopped due to violation of rules by the current office bearers.
It is believed that Radha Ravi may have influenced the decision since a person named A Elumalai, who, according to unconfirmed reports, is associated with him, recently sought an injunction from the Madras High Court to stop the Sangam from conducting elections. On June 14, the TN Government sent a letter to E Padmanabhan, the retired judge presiding over the elections, requesting a change in location, citing public hindrance and traffic issues around MGR Janaki College in Chennai where elections were to be held. Following this, Vishal, on behalf of the Sangam, filed a writ petition in Court accusing the police of refusing to provide adequate security and said that the college had the capacity to conduct elections. He also said that members from a rival party prompted the police to ask for a change in location.
