IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY
(NAGPUR BENCH)
V.A. Mohta B.G. Deo, JJ.
Dhrupad Bhagwan Sawale another .... Petitioners.
Versus
Collector, District Buldana.... Respondent.
Writ Petition No. 2052 of 1986, decided on 17-10-1986.
Advocates appeared :
S.V. Manohar, for petitioners.
G.D. Patil, A.G.P., for respondent.
Held, Rules 1962 made under Act, 1961 specifically make a provision. Resolution must state grounds on which no confidence motion is to be moved - Hence issuance of notices of no confidence motion would be invalid for want of grounds in motions.
"Since Shri Dhrupadrao Bhagwan Saole has lost our confidence, we are proposing motion of no confidence against him."
The other is similarly worded. The point is no more res integra. It is covered by our decision in (Ganeshsinha Domansinha Hajari v. Commissioner, Nagpur Division, Nagpur and others)1, 1963 Mh.L.J. 569 followed in (Shaligram v. Collector)1, Writ Petition No. 2476 of 1981 decided on 14/15-12-1981. Matter is governed by Rule 2 (as amended on 30-11-1965) which reads thus :
"2. Form of requisition.---The requisition to call a special meeting to consider a motion of no-confidence in the President or Vice-President or both shall be in the form hereto appended. The requisition shall be accompanied by the text of the motion proposed to be moved specifying therein the grounds on which it is proposed to move the motion and the name of the Councillor who shall move the motion."
Object of Rule 2 was explained thus :
"10. It seems to us also having regard to the other provisions of the Act and the rules and having regard to the particulars prescribed in the form that these rules were framed with a definite object. They were framed in order that the discussion at a meeting in which a no-confidence motion is to be moved should not, so to say, be "at large" as is generally the case when such motions are moved. The " universe of discourse" would necessarily be limited if the grounds are stated. Secondly, the object appears to be not only that the Chairman or Deputy Chairman against whom the no-confidence is being expressed should know in advance what was being alleged against him but also that all other members should be apprised of the charges upon which the no-confidence motion was moved. Thus the requirement as to the grounds achieves a double object, namely, to limit the area of discussion, and also to give due notice to the party charged as well as the members of the Samiti, of the charges and enables them to make up their minds upon the charges. We think that construing the provisions of the rule as merely directory would defeat that object. In our opinion, therefore, the notice given on 10-10-1962 by the four respondents was a notice which was not in compliance with the law and a notice upon which a meeting such as was requisitioned could not legally have been called."
2. Shri Patil, the learned Assistant Government Pleader for the respondent-Collector, has submitted that in a democratic set up, the fact that the majority has lost confidence is by itself sufficient reason for removal irrespective of validity or correctness of the grounds or reasons for loss of confidence and hence the notices were valid. Reliance has been placed on the case of (Ramkrushna and another v. Kisan Zingraji Madke and others)3, 1970 Maharashtra Law Journal 836 with interpreted section 55 of the Maharashtra Municipalities Act which reads thus :
"55(1). A President shall cease to be President, if the Council by a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the total number of Councillors (excluding the co-opted Councillors) at a special meeting so decides.
(2) The requisition for such special meeting shall be signed by not less than one-half of the total number of Councillors (excluding the co-opted Councillors) and shall be sent to the Collector.
(3) The Collector shall, within ten days of the receipt of a requisition under sub-section (2), convene a s
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