Chitra Venkataraman, J.

1. The batch of Writ Petitions before this Court are filed by the members of different Cooperative Societies seeking a Writ of Declaration to declare the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Societies (Third Amendment) Ordinance 2012, as unconstitutional and ultra vires the Constitution, particularly Part IXB of the Constitution of India. Subsequent to the filing of the Writ Petitions, the Ordinance had become an Act and accordingly, the petitioners have filed petitions before this Court, amending the prayer to declare the amended Act as unconstitutional. Accordingly, the amendment petitions filed in the Writ Petitions are ordered. On notice, the State has filed a common counter in all these Writ Petitions.

2. It is a matter of record that approximately for about 11 years, there had been no election in the Co-operative Societies for some reason or other to elect the members of the Board of Directors/Governing Body of the cooperative societies. In the wake of the above-said fact, in the place of the Board/governing body, Special Officers were appointed by the Registrar for a specified period not exceeding six months, to manage the affairs of the reg