Chennai, Feb 23 (BPNS)

The Madras High Court on Wednesday declared as valid the election conducted for South Indian Film Artists Association (SIFAA) , popularly known as Nadigar Sangam in 2019. The court also ordered counting of votes from ballot boxes which have been kept in a bank locker since then.

Justices  Pushpa Sathyanarayana and Mohammed Shaffiq of the Madras High court ordered the election officer to open the ballot boxes, count the votes and declare the results.

The court also directed that the entire process must be completed within four weeks and results declared.

The elections for SIAA were declared in 2019 when actors Vishal Krishna, Nasser, and Kanthi were heading the organization. The Registrar of Societies passed an executive order suspending the elections indefinitely after a few members had lodged alleging that their names were removed from the electoral rolls.

The Nadigar Sangam or SIAA immediately approached the Madras High court and Justice P.D. Adikesavalu stayed the Registrar’s order on June 21 and permitted the conduct of elections on June 23. The court however directed that the counting of votes must not be done until the final disposal of the writ petition. The court also passed an order directing the police to provide protection at the election venue.

However, Justice Kalyanasundaram of the Madras High Court on January 2020 declared that the elections held on June 23, 2019, null and void. The judge in the order said that the three-year tenure of the three actors who held the posts of general secretary, president, and treasurer had come to an end in October 2018 and therefore all actions taken by them should be considered invalid in law.

He also ordered fresh elections within three months by appointing a new election officer and the Nadigar Sangam moved the writ appeal and the division bench of Justices Pushpa Satyanarayana and Mohammed Shaffiq declared the elections of 2019 valid.