Administrator appointed without elections even after term ended

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A petition has been filed in the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court challenging the state government’s decision to appoint an administrator and later grant an extension without conducting elections even after the tenure of the first Maharashtra Acupuncture Council had ended.

The petitioner has sought cancellation of the administrator’s appointment, immediate conduct of council elections, and the constitution of a special investigation team to probe decisions taken over the past three years.

The petition has been filed by acupuncture specialist Dr Laxman Bhimrao Sawant from Ambad in Jalna district. According to the petition, the state government had established the Maharashtra Acupuncture Council on May 15, 2018 for a period of five years. Its tenure ended on May 14, 2023. As per the rules, elections should have been held to elect five members after the term ended. However, citing the reason that the voters’ list was not updated, the government appointed Dr Rumi F. Beramji as administrator for one year on July 13, 2023.

The petitioner contends that this appointment violates Section 40 of the Maharashtra Acupuncture System of Therapy Act, 2015, and is illegal. The petition also alleges that several colleges were granted permission to start diploma courses without verifying necessary infrastructure. It further claims that registration certificates were issued even to individuals from outside the state for financial gain.