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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The general body meeting of Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, convened to decide on its governing body, was marred by pandemonium here on Monday. Following the ruckus created by members of the previous and the newly formed councils, Director of the Social Welfare Department M S Jaya dissolved the general body which was convened on the basis of a High Court order to seek mandate on whether the previous council must be retained. Though the general body was to meet by 10 am, members favouring the former council met after 9 am and decided to retain the seven disqualified members. Against the court order which entrusted the Social Welfare Department to seek the mandate of the members, C Satyapalan, vice-president of the former council, assumed charge as the returning officer. Satyapalan is one among the disqualified members.Following the unilateral move of the former council members, Jaya dissolved the general body. Jaya will submit a report to the High Court, which is to consider the case on May 21.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is also the president of the council, did not attend the meeting. The members created ruckus at the RDR Hall, Edapazhanji, protesting against the decision to dissolve the meeting. A group of protestors blocked the car of Jaya and raised slogans against her. There were verbal spats between the members of the former and new councils. P Krishnan, suspended general secretary of the council, said that he would file a report before the High Court on the incident. “In the absence of the council president and the first vice-president, the second vice-president can be the returning officer. The bylaw says so. The meeting has unanimously decided to retain the disqualified members,” he said.Meanwhile, Chembazhanthi Anil, council member, said the general body meeting was hijacked by a group of members from Kannur.“Goons from Kannur hijacked the meeting much before other members arrived at the venue,” he said.“How could a suspended member be the returning officer?,” Anil asked. Controversy erupted in the council when seven members, including its general secretary P Krishnan, were disqualified by the government on January 28 after they were found guilty of an illegal construction at council headquarters.
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