Supreme Court rejects plea, 492 milk societies keep voting rights in Gokul Dudh Sangh polls

The Supreme Court has delivered a major ruling on the election to the Gokul Dudh Sangh. It dismissed a petition seeking to declare milk societies under liquidation ineligible for the voter list. The petition was filed by Ispurli's Shreeram Dudh Sanstha, seeking removal of 492 liquidated milk societies from the voter list.

Following the Supreme Court's decision, these societies will retain their participation in the electoral process, clearing the way for the Gokul election. The petition was heard by a bench of Justice P. S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhye of the Supreme Court.

The eligibility of liquidated milk societies in the Gokul Dudh Sangh election had been a matter of discussion for some time. A legal battle was launched objecting to giving these societies a place on the voter list. Because of this, political circles in the district were watching whether the Gokul election process would move forward or face a fresh legal hurdle. The Supreme Court's dismissal of the petition delivered an important verdict on the dispute, which was also being watched closely by the district's cooperative sector.

Of the societies under liquidation named by the Assistant Registrar (Dairy), Kolhapur, 194 milk societies were held eligible by the Kolhapur circuit bench of the High Court. The remaining 298 liquidated milk societies were held eligible in a hearing before the District Deputy Registrar, Pune.

The process of filing nomination forms for the Gokul Dudh Sangh election has already begun, with voting scheduled for October 18. The Supreme Court's decision is expected to speed up the election process. The Gokul election holds special significance in Kolhapur politics, since milk societies and their representatives are the main voters in this election, making the number of eligible societies and their voting rights a key issue.

The court proceedings had cast a shadow of uncertainty over the Gokul election for some time. But with the Supreme Court dismissing the petition, a major legal hurdle to the election process has been cleared. Attention now turns to contacts between prospective candidates, panels and voting societies. Ahead of the October 18 polling, the Supreme Court's ruling has proved to be a key milestone in the Gokul election, and the political atmosphere in Kolhapur district is expected to heat up further. The eligibility of a total of 492 milk societies had been challenged in the Supreme Court by Ispurli's Shreeram Dudh Sanstha. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued the case on behalf of the 492 milk societies. With the petition dismissed, the 492 societies held eligible will take part in the Gokul election process.