JUDGMENT

1. Heard Mr. V. A. Lawande and Mr. P. Redkar for the Petitioners, Mr. Manish Salkar, Government Advocate for the Respondent-State and Mr. Shivan Desai and Mr. A. D. Bhobe, for the intervenors.

2. In this Petition, the challenge is to the order, rejecting Petitioners' nomination for election to Board of Directors of the Goa State Co-operative Milk Producers Union Limited (Union, for short).

3. The briefly stated facts of the case are that the Petitioner no.1 is the Chairman and Member of Petitioner no.2-St. Andre Milk Producers Co-operative Society Limited. The Petitioner no.1 filed his nomination with the Respondent no.2 (Returning Officer) with all the required documents including the resolution of the Petitioner no.2, authorizing him to represent with a declaration that no other member is representing the Society of the Board.

4. The Returning Officer in the course of scrutiny of the nominations in terms of Rule 69(5) of the Goa Co-operative Societies Rules 2003, sought from the Petitioner no.1 his say as regards his eligibility in terms of Bye-law no. 20.1.6, to contest the elections, inasmuch as the Returning officer was of the view that the Petitioner was not satisfyin