Aurangabad, Sept 24: In a significant order, Mumbai
High Court has ordered attachment of movable and immovable
properties of all the suspended directors of Jalgaon district
Cooperative Bank, including Maharashtra Minister for Food and
Civil Supplies Suresh Jain.
The order was delivered yesterday by Justice B H
Marlapalle and Justice A S Bagga on a PIL alleging precarious
financial position of the Cooperative Banks in Maharashtra.
The court had earlier converted a series of reports on
alleged malpractices in Aurangabad District Central
Cooperative Bank into a PIL and ordered the Commissioner of
Cooperatives based in Pune to submit a report on the
functioning of all the cooperative banks.
Considering the report of the commissioner, the court
directed Jalgaon district collector to attach movable and
immovable properties of suspended directors of Jalgaon
district cooperative bank and ordered that the ongoing inquiry
against them under Maharashtra cooperative societies act be
completed within three months.
The commissioner of cooperatives had earlier superceded
the board of Jalgaon District Cooperative Bank and appointed
an administrator to control the affairs. However, he could not
take charge as the move was challenged by the directors.
Reacting to the court ruling, Jain told a news agency in Mumbai
that he had just received the copy of the judgement and
planned to move the Supreme Court after seeking legal opinion.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesman Prakash Jawdekar, at a press
conference in Solapur, welcomed the High Court order and said
"those guilty of cheating investors and bringing banks to
bankruptcy must be punished".
Bureau Report
