HC reserves order on plea to stay ordinance

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Thursday reserved its order on a batch of petitions seeking to stay the Co-operative Societies Ordinance-2012. The petitioners had alleged that the ordinance was aimed at dissolving the board of directors of district co-operative banks and appointing administrators to manage the affairs of the banks.Appearing for the state, Advocate General K P Dandapani submitted that the state government has the right to pass the ordinance and no mala fide intentions are there. The apex court had upheld the state government’s right to pass such an order. The order is constitutionally valid, he said. The petitions were filed by State Co-operative Bank president M Mehaboob and presidents of Alappuzha, Thrissur, Pathanamthitta and Kozhikode district co-operative banks. The petitioners submitted that the ordinance was illegal and arbitrary. It was brought with a mala fide intention to bring the banks under the control of the UDF government, they said.