JUDGMENT :

P.B. Suresh Kumar, J.

The above appeals are directed against the common judgment in W.P.(C) Nos.17331 and 17200 of 2021. Among the appeals, W.A. No.500 of 2022 is directed against the judgment in W.P.(C) No.17200 of 2021 and W.A.No.506 of 2022 is directed against the judgment in W.P.(C) No.17331 of 2021. The appellants are the petitioners in the writ petitions. Parties and documents are referred to in this judgment for convenience, as they appear in W.P.(C).No.17331 of 2021.

2. The petitioners, six in number, were members of the Managing Committee of the third respondent, a Cooperative Society registered and functioning under the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, 1963 (the Act). They were disqualified from holding the office under Rule 44 of the Kerala Co-operative Societies Rules, (the Rules) on the ground that they were absent in four consecutive meetings of the Managing Committee held on 14.12.2020, 18.12.2020, 23.12.2020 and 31.12.2020. Exts.P14 to P19 are the orders issued by the jurisdictional Joint Registrar, the competent authority, disqualifying the petitioners from holding office. Since the Managing Committee of the Society lost its quorum on account of the disqu