Documents
Even as the press club managing committee is yet to announce the election shedule and the date of the Annual General Meeting ( AGM) and polling , already decided in its last meeting ( please see our last post) , we are posting a document on Draft Minutes of the last AGM . Draft Minutes needs to be confirmed in the next AGM , a day ahead of the poll . We believe that the document posted below may help the fello members to take an objective decision on various issues likely to be discussed in the AGM in general and Draft Minutes in particular .The President , to whom the .letter was addressed , did send an email back only to acknowledge that he has received the letter. But that is all he has done so far on the issue. We hope him to give a proper reply to the letter in the next AGM .
Mumbai/ 05 December 2007
To
The President
The Press Club, Mumbai
Sub: Draft Minutes of the July 27 AGM
This refers to the draft minutes of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Press Club, Mumbai, held on July 27,2007 – which were circulated among the Club members by the Secretary on October 25,2007 and put up simultaneously on the club’s notice board.
Having actively participated in the deliberations of the said AGM, I hereby lodge my strong protest with you against the distorted manner in which the Secretary has chosen to present the deliberations, in the above draft minutes. If anything, the draft minutes are an affront to the very general body of the club.
Here, I am confining myself to the distortions in the presentation of facts – as transpired at the above AGM – relating to the inquiry pending against the Club Secretary Mr Gurbir Singh and a member Rennie Abraham. The distortions relate to the following paragraph in the draft minutes:
“C P Jha raised the issue of enquiry, which was set up to look into the August 3, 2006 incident involving cross-allegations of violence by Gurbir Singh and Rennie Abraham. Treasurer Rajesh said that the Enquiry committee had failed to complete its work despite several letters and offer of cooperation for providing extraordinary demands like stenographer, tape recorder, etc. One of the enquiry committee members, Jatin Desai, who was present in the AGM, blamed the convenor Suresh Nandi for deliberately delaying the enquiry and displayed the correspondence with the other two members on the issue. C P Jha suggested Suresh Nandi be dropped from the enquiry committee and proposed the other two members complete the enquiry. After discussion in the house, it was decided that the convenor would be given time till July 31, 2007 to complete the enquiry process, failing which he should be dropped from the Committee, and the other two members should complete the process within two months thereafter”.
With regard to the above-referred mentioned portion of the draft minutes, I have to make following submissions:
1) It is grossly incorrect to state that any decision was taken at the above AGM to the effect that Mr Suresh Nandi be dropped from the three-member enquiry that was set up to look into the August 3, 2006 incident in which the Club Secretary Gurbir Singh is one of the accused and that the other members should complete the inquiry process be within two months.
2) I vehemently deny that I proposed that Suresh Nandi be dropped from the enquiry committee and the other two members complete the enquiry. Because, mine was a qualified observation that I made based on some statements made at the above AGM by Treasurer Rajesh Mascarenhas on behalf of the Managing Committee vis-à-vis the status of inquiry into the alleged incident of violence involving member Rennie Abraham and Club Secretary on the night of August 3, 2006.
3) Last but not the least, I request you to exercise your powers as the President to disallow the Managing Committee's reported decision to drop Mr Suresh Nandi from of the Committee till the draft minutes are confirmed by the general body as per the procedures laid down in the Club’s Constitution.
In elaboration of my above submissions, let me state the following:
We all are aware that one of the accused being investigated in the incident is club Secretary Gurbir Singh and the issues relating to the incident have been raised and discussed in two AGMs of the Club. It is, therefore, essential that utmost care is taken to ensure that the enquiry is not influenced by the current Managing Committee and it is conducted in a 'free and fair' manner. I hope, you, as the custodian of the Club, would take all possible steps to do justice in this regard.
Going by the distortions in the draft minutes of the above AGM, one can safely infer that a blatant attempt is being made by the Managing Committee to twist facts relating to the incident involving the Secretary. Or how else can you describe an effort made by the Secretary to fire the gun from the shoulders of an ordinary member like me in an apparent effort to sabotage the inquiry being held against (the Secretary) himself? It is rather surprising as to how you – as the custodian of the club and its constitution -- have allowed the circulation of distorted portion of the draft minutes relating to the said violent incident involving then and the current Secretary Gurbir Singh and Rennie Abraham, among the members.
I reiterate my above contention that no decision was taken to drop Mr Suresh Nandi both as the convenor and member of the three-member committee inquiry committee – appointed to probe the above alleged violent incident in which Mr Gurbir Singh is one of the accused -- based on my purported `suggestion’ and subsequent `discussion” -- as has been made out in the draft minutes of the above AGM.
It is but essential that I put the records straight with regard to the above alleged violent incident involving then and current secretary Gurbir Singh and member Rennie Abraham. You may recall, I was among several members who had petitioned the then President Mr Madhu Shetye vide a joint letter dated August 5, 2006 and sought his intervention to “get to the bottom of this unfortunate incident and come up with remedial measures to ensure against recurrence of such incidents in the future”. The joint letter had also emphasized that the incident warranted the President’s serious cognizance, considering that the Secretary – entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining peace and decorum in the club – had resorted to violence against a member for whatever purported “provocation or justification”. If necessary, I can make you available a copy of the said joint letter written by me and 15 other members to then Club President Mr Shetye. Incidentally, the letter is also a part of the inquiry committee records.
In the context of the above background, it was but natural of me to raise the issue relating to the said inquiry at the July 27, 2006 AGM and seek an update on the ongoing inquiry. Given that you yourself were presiding over the said AGM, you will recall that the following transpired at the above meeting:
To a query by me as to the status of the inquiry, Treasurer Rajesh Mascarenhas –replying on behalf of the Managing Committee – made a serious allegation against the entire three-member committee, saying that the inquiry committee in general and Mr Nandi as the convenor of the committee in particular had failed to complete its work despite several letters and offer of cooperation for providing “extraordinary demands” like stenographer, tape recorder, etc.
In retrospect, you will appreciate that Mr Mascarenhas (a joint secretary at the time of incident) – considering that he was a willing witness to the incident (read a man who wrote a letter to the then chairman and President justifying the action of the Secretary and seeking action against member Rennie Abraham, even before an inquiry into the incident) – had no business to cast aspersions on the inquiry committee in general and Mr Nandi in particular.
I again draw your attention to a part of the objected portion of the draft minutes, which states: “… One of the enquiry committee members, Jatin Desai, who was present in the AGM, blamed the convenor Suresh Nandi for deliberately delaying the enquiry and displayed the correspondence with the other two members on the issue”.
As you and all others present in the meeting may recall I had asked Mr Mascarenhas to read out the latest letter by Mr Nandi to the President and the Chairman of the club. Mr Mascarenhas, however, spoke about a letter sent recently by the Managing Committee to Mr Nandi, who was not present at the AGM at that time.
Unfortunately, with Mr Nandi not being present when the issue of inquiry came to be discussed, the members were not briefed by him (Mr Nandi) of the difficulties faced by him in completing the probe. Not surprisingly though, the treasurer did not think it fit to read out letters written by Mr Nandi to you as well as the chairman of the club, who heads the Managing Committee of the Club, on several occasions in the past with regard to the said inquiry.
After Mr Mascarenhas laid the blame of the delay in the completion of the inquiry at the door of Mr Nandi in particular, I had the following to say at the above AGM: “If the managing committee was objectively convinced that inquiry can not be completed due to the hurdles posed by Mr Nandi, then he (Mr Nandi) may be dropped”. This was my qualified observation; either pre-supposing or taking at face value as to what Mr Mascarenhas claimed was true.
The draft minutes have, however, failed to either capture or reflect the tone and tenor of what I said. They, instead, seek to give an impression that I contributed to the AGM ‘s decision to drop Mr Nandi from the probe panel. As I have already stated, no such decision was taken in the AGM and, I believe, it was the Managing Committee which as an afterthought took such a decision to sabotage the inquiry. This is my humble submission, after considering that Mr Nandi had taken upon himself to conduct an impartial inquiry into the incident – a thing that was not taken kindly by one of the accused (the then and current secretary) and it was Mr Nandi, who had in the SGM preceding the said AGM had taken serious exception to the miserable failure of the Managing Committee (in which the Secretary had the key role to play) to ensure “financial closure of the Club” before undertaking demolition and reconstruction/refurbishment of a major portion of the Club building that used to called earlier as the Glass House.
I understand to the best of the information I have at my disposal that Mr Nandi had indeed taken several steps to conduct an impartial probe into the above incident. Apart from others, he had also ‘summoned’ me to appear for the hearing before the probe panel as per my own written request. I am told that Mr Nandi had written numerous letters to the various club functionaries, including you and the club chairman, over the issue. There is nothing amiss or illegal, if he wanted the Managing Committee to provide him a stenographer or audio-video instruments to correctly record deliberations before the probe panel as anybody entrusted with a task to conduct such a probe would definitely strive to ensure that the depositions are recorded correctly.
Under the circumstances, I would like you to consider seriously the distortions in the draft minutes of the above AGM vis-à-vis the deliberations regarding the inquiry into the incident involving Secretary Gurbir Singh and member Rennie Abraham, various issues that I have raised in that context and the fact that the current Managing Committee – of which the accused Mr Gurbir Singh is a key functionary in his capacity as the then and current Secretary of the Club – has gone ahead and removed Mr Nandi not only as the convenor but also as a member of the inquiry committee even before the draft AGM minutes – which I insist have been doctored – are adopted by the General Body of the Club. I would also request you to act in a just and fair manner – as is expected of a person holding the coveted President’s post of a leading Press Club in the country.
I reserve my right to send you letters over the matters I have already discussed above and to propose amendments in the draft minutes of the July 27, 2007 AGM. Similarly, I reserve the right to come back to you on other distortions in the said draft minutes in near future.
Yours truly
CP Jha
Membership No 388
CC Chairman, The Press Club, Mumbai
BCC Members who attended the AGM of July 27, 2007
