MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad bench on Monday refused to stay the election for the chairman's post of Gokul Cooperative Milk Federation, scheduled for November 10, 2026.
The court has allowed the four government-nominated directors to participate in the voting for chairman of Gokul Milk Federation.
The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, presided over by vacation judge Justice Neeraj Dhote, rejected the petition seeking an interim stay on the Maharashtra government's November 6 ordinance that provides for the appointment of five government nominees to the boards of large cooperative institutions, with four of them enjoying voting rights.
However, while permitting the election to proceed as scheduled, the court directed that votes cast by the four nominated directors should be kept in a separate, sealed ballot box. The entire election process must also be video-recorded. The election result will be declared, but its validity will remain subject to the final outcome of the court proceedings.
The chairman's election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, at 11 am at Gokul's head office in Shirgaon, Kolhapur. The court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for November 25.
The court's decision comes amid an intense political confrontation between the Congress-backed Samavichari Aghadi, led by MLC Satej Patil, and the ruling Mahayuti alliance over control of one of Maharashtra's most influential cooperative institutions.
In the recently concluded Gokul board elections, the Congress-led Samavichari Aghadi secured 13 of the 25 director posts, defeating the BJP led Mahayuti panel, which won 12 seats. Despite securing a numerical majority, the Congress-led panel could not complete the chairman's election because Gokul's bylaws require a minimum quorum of 14 directors.
When the newly elected board convened on October 29 to elect its chairman, all 12 BJP led Mahayuti directors remained absent, leaving the meeting one member short of the required quorum. Presiding officer Mausami Chougule subsequently adjourned the meeting.
Following the adjournment, the 13 Congress led Samavichari Aghadi directors held a separate meeting and unanimously declared Shashikant Patil Chuyekar elected as chairman. However, the dairy administration did not recognise the election, prompting the Congress-backed panel to approach the Bombay High Court.
On November 2, the High Court directed the authorities to convene a fresh meeting on November 10 and issue notices to all 25 elected directors.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved an amendment to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, allowing the government to nominate five members to the boards of cooperative institutions with an annual turnover exceeding Rs 500 crore. Four nominated members will have voting rights, while the fifth, a government officer, will not be entitled to vote.
The ordinance, promulgated on November 6, has triggered a fresh political controversy, with the Opposition alleging that the government introduced the provision to alter the balance of power in Gokul after the Mahayuti failed to secure a majority in the board elections. Gokul, with an annual turnover of approximately Rs 3,000 crore, is among Maharashtra's most prominent dairy cooperatives.
The petitioners, represented by senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Ashish Kumbhakoni, while senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the Maharashtra government, defended the ordinance, maintaining that the appointments were legally justified and necessary to address the quorum deadlock and protect the larger public and societal interest.
