Mumbai, Apr 23 The Bombay High Court on Thursday cleared the decks for elections of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, one of the city's oldest public research libraries founded in 1804.
Justice Farhan Dubash dismissed petitions filed by senior journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP Kumar Ketkar and others challenging the orders of the Charity Commissioner.
The last elections of the society were held in September 2023.
Fresh elections scheduled for November 2025 could not be conducted due to disputes over the voters' list, and were repeatedly postponed. The managing committee later proposed to hold elections on March 14, 2026.
However, concerns raised during a session of the Maharashtra legislature triggered an inquiry into the Society's affairs.
An inspector appointed by the Charity Commissioner submitted reports in late February and early March 2026 pointing to serious irregularities, including discrepancies in the voters' list and the alleged disappearance of over 2,000 books.
It also flagged admission of 1,465 new members after the cut-off date for the elections was declared on October 3, 2025.
Acting on these findings, the Charity Commissioner passed orders on March 13, 2026, appointing a "fit person" along with members of the managing committee to oversee the Society's day-to-day affairs.
He also directed preparation of a fresh list of valid voters, and ordered that elections be conducted thereafter under supervision.
The petitioners challenged these directions, claiming that the Charity Commissioner had no authority to interfere in the election process or discard the existing voters' list.
The high court, however, refused to accept these arguments.
It also found fault with the scrutinising committee which continued functioning beyond its term and recommended over 1,400 new members, raising concerns about the integrity of the voters' list.
The court held that the charity commissioner acted within its powers and there was no "patent illegality or manifest arbitrariness" in the orders.
The petitions were dismissed, and a request to stay the judgment was also rejected.
