The Madras Excessive Courtroom has appointed famous industrialist P. Vijayakumar Reddy because the interim administrator of Kumara Rajah Muthiah Faculty of Conventional Arts and Crafts, which runs the Chettinad Vidyashram faculty in Chennai. The appointment has been made pursuant to the demise of the registered society’s secretary Meena Muthiah on May 2, 2026.

Justice N. Senthilkumar handed the orders pursuant to some purposes filed collectively by industrialist M.A.M.R. Muthiah, his spouse Geetha Muthiah, and 5 others. The candidates had questioned a managing committee assembly convened by two society members – Ok.T.R. Raja Karuppan Chetty and C. Chockalingam – as a substitute of convening a common physique assembly to elect a brand new secretary.

After listening to elaborate arguments superior by senior counsel M.S. Krishnan, V. Raghavachari, J. Ravindran, and advocate Nithyaesh Natraj for the candidates, the choose concurred with them that the Could 7, 2026, discover supposed at convening the managing committee assembly had not been issued by the 2 people involved strictly in accordance with the bylaws of the society.

‘Unilaterally convened assembly’

The courtroom agreed with the submissions made on behalf of Mr. Muthiah and the opposite candidates that clause 22 of the bylaws of the society requires a requisition to the secretary by at the very least two members for the convening of the managing committee assembly. Nonetheless, within the current case, no such requisition had been made, and the 2 people had unilaterally convened the assembly on their very own.

Additional, the bylaws require a transparent seven days’ discover earlier than convening the assembly. “Such a requirement can’t be construed merely from the date talked about within the discover, reasonably, it have to be reckoned from the date on which the discover is definitely obtained by the members involved. It’s the accountability of the respondents to make sure that the discover is served upon the individuals involved at the very least seven clear days previous to the proposed assembly. The interval of seven days should totally expire earlier than the assembly can validly be convened,” the choose wrote.

He went on to state: “For the reason that secretary isn’t any extra, as a consequence of her sudden demise, the correct course out there below the circumstances can be to convene a common physique assembly by issuing due discover to all events involved. In view of the extraordinary state of affairs created by the loss of life of the secretary and the resignation of the treasurer, the one permissible technique to convene a gathering can be by the final physique, which alone is competent to determine upon filling up the vacancies within the posts of secretary and treasurer (who had resigned). It is usually the final physique which is empowered to elect or choose the members of the managing committee.”

Justice Senthilkumar mentioned “there was no flaming hurry warranting deviation from the process prescribed below the bylaws,” and injuncted the conduct of the managing committee assembly. He additionally restrained Mr. Chetty and Mr. Chockalingam from interfering with the day-to-day affairs, management, administration, and monetary transactions of the registered society in addition to the Chettinad Vidyasharam faculty pending disposal of the case.

Nonetheless, within the interregnum, because the faculty have to be allowed to perform easily with none obstacle, the choose appointed Mr. Reddy, the incumbent president of the managing committee, because the interim administrator of the society. He mentioned, the president can be the competent individual to manage the society due to his expertise and information.