Mumbai. 5 December 2007
To
The President
The Press Club , Mumbai
Sub: Draft Minutes of the July 27 AGM
Dear Mr President,
This refers to the draft minutes of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the
Press Club, Mumbai, held on July 27,2007 – which were circulated among
the Club members by the Secretary on October 25,2007 and put up simultaneously
on the club’s notice board.
Having actively participated in the deliberations of the said AGM, I hereby
lodge my strong protest with you against the distorted manner in which the
Secretary has chosen to present the deliberations, in the above draft minutes.
If anything, the draft minutes are an affront to the very general body of the club.
Here, I am confining myself to the distortions in the presentation of facts – as
transpired at the above AGM – relating to the inquiry pending against the
Club Secretary Mr Gurbir Singh and a member Rennie Abraham. The distortions
relate to the following paragraph in the draft minutes:
“C P Jha raised the issue of enquiry, which was set up to look into the August 3,
2006 incident involving cross-allegations of violence by Gurbir Singh and Rennie
Abraham. Treasurer Rajesh said that the Enquiry committee had failed to complete
its work despite several letters and offer of cooperation for providing extraordinary
demands like stenographer, tape recorder, etc. One of the enquiry committee
members, Jatin Desai, who was present in the AGM, blamed the convenor Suresh
Nandi for deliberately delaying the enquiry and displayed the correspondence with
the other two members on the issue. C P Jha suggested Suresh Nandi be dropped
from the enquiry committee and proposed the other two members complete the
enquiry. After discussion in the house, it was decided that the convenor would be
given time till July 31, 2007 to complete the enquiry process, failing which he
should be dropped from the Committee, and the other two members should complete
the process within two months thereafter”.
With regard to the above-referred mentioned portion of the draft minutes, I have to
make following submissions:
1) It is grossly incorrect to state that any decision was taken at the above AGM to
the effect that Mr Suresh Nandi be dropped from the three-member enquiry that
was set up to look into the August 3, 2006 incident in which the Club Secretary
Gurbir Singh is one of the accused and that the other members should complete
the inquiry process be within two months.
2) I vehemently deny that I proposed that Suresh Nandi be dropped from the
committee and the other two members complete the enquiry. Because, mine
was a qualified observation that I made based on some statements made at
the above AGM by Treasurer Rajesh Mascarenhas on behalf of the
Managing Committee vis-à-vis the status of inquiry into the alleged incident
of violence involving member Rennie Abraham and Club Secretary on the
night of August 3, 2006.
3) Last but not the least, I request you to exercise your powers as the
President to disallow the Managing Committee's reported decision to drop
Mr Suresh Nandi from of the Committee till the draft minutes are
confirmed by the general body as per the procedures laid down in the
Club’s Constitution.
We all are aware that one of the accused being investigated in the
incident is club Secretary Gurbir Singh and the issues relating to the
incident have been raised and discussed in two AGMs of the Club.
It is, therefore, essential that utmost care is taken to ensure that
the enquiry is not influenced by the current Managing Committee
and it is conducted in a 'free and fair' manner. I hope, you, as the
custodian of the Club, would take all possible steps to do justice
in this regard.
Going by the distortions in the draft minutes of the above AGM, one can
safely infer that a blatant attempt is being made by the Managing Committee
to twist facts relating to the incident involving the Secretary. Or how else
can you describe an effort made by the Secretary to fire the gun from
shoulders of an ordinary member like me in an apparent effort to sabotage
the inquiry being held against (the Secretary) himself? It is rather surprising
as to how you – as the custodian of the club and its constitution -- have
the circulation of distorted portion of the draft minutes relating to the
said violent incident involving then and the current Secretary Gurbir
Singh and Rennie Abraham, among the members.
I reiterate my above contention that no decision was taken to drop
Mr Suresh Nandi both as the convenor and member of the three-member
committee inquiry committee – appointed to probe the above alleged
violent incident in which Mr Gurbir Singh is one of the accused
-- based on my purported `suggestion’ and subsequent `discussion” -- as
has been made out in the draft minutes of the above AGM.
It is but essential that I put the records straight with regard to the above
alleged violent incident involving then and current secretary Gurbir Singh
and member Rennie Abraham. You may recall, I was among several members
who had petitioned the then President Mr Madhu Shetye vide a joint letter
dated August 5, 2006 and sought his intervention to “get to the bottom of thi
unfortunate incident and come up with remedial measures to ensure against
recurrence of such incidents in the future”. The joint letter had also
emphasized that the incident warranted the President’s serious cognizance,
considering that the Secretary – entrusted with the responsibility of
maintaining peace and decorum in the club – had resorted to violence
against a member for whatever purported “provocation or justification”.
If necessary, I can make you available a copy of the said joint letter written
by me and 15 other members to then Club President Mr Shetye. Incidentally,
the letter is also a part of the inquiry committee records.
In the context of the above background, it was but natural of me to raise
the issue relating to the said inquiry at the July 27, 2006 AGM and seek
an update on the ongoing inquiry. Given that you yourself were presiding
over the said AGM, you will recall that the following transpired at the
above meeting:
To a query by me as to the status of the inquiry, Treasurer Rajesh
Mascarenhas –replying on behalf of the Managing Committee – made a
serious allegation against the entire three-member committee, saying that
the inquiry committee in general and Mr Nandi as the convenor of the
committee in particular had failed to complete its work despite several
letters and offer of cooperation for providing “extraordinary demands” like
stenographer, tape recorder, etc.
In retrospect, you will appreciate that Mr Mascarenhas (a joint secretary at
the time of incident) – considering that he was a willing witness to the
incident (read a man who wrote a letter to the then chairman and
President justifying the action of the Secretary and seeking action against
Rennie Abraham, even before an inquiry into the incident) – had no business
to cast aspersions on the inquiry committee in general and Mr Nandi in particular.
I again draw your attention to a part of the objected portion of the draft
minutes, which states: “… One of the enquiry committee members, Jatin
Desai, who was present in the AGM, blamed the convenor Suresh Nandi
for deliberately delaying the enquiry and displayed the correspondence
with the other two members on the issue”.
As you and all others present in the meeting may recall I had asked Mr
Mascarenhas to read out the latest letter by Mr Nandi to the President
and the Chairman of the club. Mr Mascarenhas, however, spoke about a
letter sent recently by the Managing Committee to Mr Nandi, who was not
present at the AGM at that time.
Unfortunately, with Mr Nandi not being present when the issue of inquiry
came to be discussed, the members were not briefed by him (Mr Nandi) of
the difficulties faced by him in completing the probe. Not surprisingly
though, the treasurer did not think it fit to read out letters written by
Mr Nandi to you as well as the chairman of the club, who heads the
Managing Committee of the Club, on several occasions in the past with
regard to the said inquiry.
After Mr Mascarenhas laid the blame of the delay in the completion of the
inquiry at the door of Mr Nandi in particular, I had the following to say if the
managing committee was objectively convinced that inquiry can not be
completed due to the hurdles posed by Mr Nandi, then he (Mr Nandi)
may be dropped”. This was my qualified observation; either pre-supposing
or taking at face value as to what Mr Mascarenhas claimed was true.
tone and tenor of what I said. They, instead, seek to give an impression that
I contributed to the AGM ‘s decision to drop Mr Nandi from the probe panel.
As I have already stated, no such decision was taken in the AGM and, I
believe, it was the Managing Committee which as an afterthought took
such a decision to sabotage the inquiry. This is my humble submission,
after considering that Mr Nandi had taken upon himself to conduct an
impartial inquiry into the incident – a thing that was not taken kindly by
one of the accused (the then and current secretary) and it was Mr Nandi,
who had in the SGM preceding the said AGM had taken serious exception
to the miserable failure of the Managing Committee (in which the Secretary
had the key role to play) to ensure “financial closure of the Club”
before undertaking demolition and reconstruction/refurbishment of a major
portion of the Club building that used to called earlier as the Glass House.
I understand to the best of the information I have at my disposal that Mr
Nandi had indeed taken several steps to conduct an impartial probe into
the above incident. Apart from others, he had also ‘summoned’ me to
appear for the hearing before the probe panel as per my own written
request. I am told that Mr Nandi had written numerous letters to the
various club functionaries, including you and the club chairman, over
the issue. There is nothing amiss or illegal, if he wanted the Managing
Committee to provide him a stenographer or audio-video instruments to
correctly record deliberations before the probe panel as anybody
entrusted with a task to conduct such a probe would definitely strive
ensure that the depositions are recorded correctly.
distortions in the draft minutes of the above AGM vis-à-vis the deliberations
regarding the inquiry into the incident involving Secretary Gurbir Singh
and member Rennie Abraham, various issues that I have raised in that
context and the fact that the current Managing Committee – of which
the accused Mr Gurbir Singh is a key functionary in his capacity as the
then and current Secretary of the Club – has gone ahead and removed
Mr Nandi not only as the convenor but also as a member of the inquiry
committee even before the draft AGM minutes – which I insist have
doctored – are adopted by the General Body of the Club. I would also
request you to act in a just and fair manner – as is expected of a person
holding the coveted President’s post of a leading Press Club in the country.
discussed above and to propose amendments in the draft minutes of
the July 27, 2007 AGM. Similarly, I reserve the right to come back to
you on other distortions in the said draft minutes in near future.
Yours truly
CP Jha
Membership No 388
C/c Chairman, The Press Club, Mumbai
B/cc all those members who had attended the AGM of July 27, 2007
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