CHENNAI: Holding that the long continuance of interim administrators of societies or institutions would offend the spirit of democracy, the Madras High Court has directed a retired judge of the court to relinquish the duties of administering a Siddha hospital after 19 years.
A division bench of justices S M Subramaniam and Mohammed Shaffiq passed the orders recently while allowing an appeal filed by the newly elected president of the Akila Thiruvidancore Siddha Vaidhya Sangam (ATSVS), Noelraj, challenging an order passed in a civil suit.
“This court requests the interim administrator Justice A Ramamurthy, retired judge of the HC, to hand over the administration of the Sangam and the ATSVS Siddha Medical College and Hospital at Munchirai in Kanyakumari district to the elected president, Noelraj, within two weeks,” the bench said in the order.
It said the elected president is bound to run the administration in accordance with the law, and the aggrieved members of the Sangam, if any, are at liberty to challenge the election if they are choosing to do so.
The high court appointed Justice Ramamurthy as the interim administrator of the Sangam in 2005 as there were fights between two groups on managing the Sangam and the college run by it. He took charge in 2006.
After protracted litigation, the general body of the Sangam elected Noelraj as president on May 10, 2025. Yet, the interim administrator did not hand over charges of the management. Subsequently, he (Noelraj) moved the court.
“Prolonged continuation of an interim administrator deprives members of their rights. The democratic process envisaged under the bye- laws demands periodic elections and timely change of administration. The long continuance of administrators, sometimes even for decades, offends the very spirit of democracy,” the bench said in the order.
It further said long continuance of the court-appointed interim administrator will infringe on the democratic rights of the Sangam to participate in the administration.
