Madras HC to decide Nadigar Sangam tenure dispute on July 1

Chennai, June 28 (IANS) The Madras High Court has reserved, until July 1, its orders on a plea seeking the rejection of a civil suit challenging the continuation of actors Nasser, Vishal Krishna, and Karthi as President, General Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively, of the South Indian Artistes Association (Nadigar Sangam), beyond the expiry of their elected three-year term.

A bench of Justice A.D. Maria Clete reserved orders after hearing arguments on an application to reject the plaint filed by V. Nambirajan, a member of the association, who has questioned the legality of the office-bearers remaining in their posts after their tenure ended on March 19, 2025.

During the hearing, the judge observed that even if the court were to declare invalid the resolution passed at the Nadigar Sangam’s 68th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 8, 2024, it was unclear how the plaintiff would benefit, particularly since the Tamil Nadu government had subsequently issued a Government Order extending the tenure of the office-bearers.

Appearing for the Nadigar Sangam, counsel Krishna Ravindran pointed out that the plaintiff had challenged only the resolution adopted at the AGM and not the Government Order issued on October 14, 2025, under Section 54 of the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975.

The Government Order extended the tenure of the office-bearers, who were elected on March 21, 2022, until March 19, 2028.

In his suit, Nambirajan argued that the association’s bylaws mandate elections every three years and that fresh elections should have been conducted after the present office-bearers’ term expired in March 2025. Instead, he alleged, they continued in office based on the resolution passed at the 2024 AGM.

Defending the extension, the Nadigar Sangam submitted that member S.R. Sekar had moved a resolution at the 68th AGM seeking a three-year extension to enable the present leadership to complete the construction of the association’s long-awaited convention centre, described as its dream project.

The proposal, submitted on August 23, 2024, was backed by 311 members and was unanimously approved at the AGM. The association also claimed that 79-year-old Nambirajan had not attended the 2024 AGM or any annual general meeting since becoming a member in 2015.

The association also alleged that he was being used as a proxy litigant by disgruntled elements seeking to disrupt the functioning of the association and create hurdles for the completion of the convention centre project.

–IANS

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