Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Eleven members of the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) Executive Committee have resigned with immediate effect. General Secretary Upasana Singh has confirmed, alleging that the association’s functioning has moved away from collective decision-making and constitutional procedures. The resigning members have also called for fresh elections, while alleging that CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon and Senior Vice-President Padmini Kolhapure have been misusing their positions.
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Singh confirmed the resignations to ANI and said eight of the 11 members were elected members of the Executive Committee. She identified the eight elected members as Hemant Pandey, Mukesh Rishi, Sahila Chadha, Hetal Parmar, Puneet Issar, Vindu Dara Singh, Vikas Verma and Deepak Parashar.
According to Singh, the members submitted their resignations along with complaints outlining their reasons for stepping down.
Members allege lack of collective decision-making
In their joint resignation letter, the members alleged repeated departures from the principles of collective decision-making, consultation and constitutional governance. They claimed that the association’s functioning had increasingly become concentrated around Dhillon and Kolhapure, along with some other Executive Committee members.
The members alleged that Dhillon had taken several decisions unilaterally, including issuing official communications to government officials through her personal email ID and deciding on communications with industry bodies through CINTAA’s official email ID without consulting or obtaining approval from the Executive Committee.
They further alleged that Dhillon had represented the association before government, quasi-judicial and industry bodies without the knowledge or approval of the Executive Committee.
The joint letter also raised questions over the alleged use of privately engaged lawyers during visits to government offices by Dhillon and Kolhapure. According to the resigning members, the lawyers were introduced as CINTAA’s lawyers despite allegedly not having the authority or sanction of the Executive Committee.
Speaking to ANI, Upasana Singh said, “Out of our 11 members, eight elected members have resigned and submitted their resignations to me. They have also submitted their complaints, stating that Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon are misusing their positions.”
Singh further alleged that the two office-bearers did not listen to other members and that show-cause notices were being issued arbitrarily. She also claimed that members’ roles were being changed without adequate consultation and that actors’ membership cards were being cancelled without prior warning.
The Khoon Ka Sindoor actor said some members had submitted their resignations earlier as well, but those resignations had not been accepted.
Concerns over use of personal email IDs
Singh also raised concerns about the use of personal email accounts for official correspondence. She said communications issued on behalf of an association should be sent through its official email system to ensure transparency and maintain an organisational record.
“When a mail has to be sent to any organisation, we cannot send it through our personal mail ID if we want to send it officially. This is the same everywhere. Here, Poonam ji sends her personal mail ID to the organisations and asks them to send it to her. She gains no benefit from it but there is no transparency,” Singh said.
CINTAA denies EC has been dissolved
Responding to the resignations, Advocate Suvigya Vidyarthi, appearing on behalf of CINTAA, said the association’s Executive Committee had not been dissolved.
In a statement, Vidyarthi said, “The version which has been circulating that the EC of CINTAA is dissolved is totally wrong, misconceived and lacks any judicial sanctity.”
He further said that under CINTAA’s Constitution, the Executive Committee would be dissolved only if more than 50 per cent of its elected members resigned, which, he maintained, had not happened in the present case. He also said new members had been inducted in place of those who resigned, based on the next-highest vote counts in the election.
Singh, however, maintained that CINTAA’s Constitution provides for the committee to be dissolved if half or more than half of its members resign. She said the resigning members want the Registrar to oversee the process and ensure that fresh elections are conducted properly.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
