Mumbai: Justice Jitendra Jain of Bombay high court on Friday declined to lift a stay order on Saturday’s elections to the managing body of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. On March 13, the Charity Commissioner (CC) had stayed the March 14 elections at the eleventh hour and issued direction to constitute various sub-committees for preparation of valid and eligible voters. The CC said an enquiry over the society’s functioning had led to a discovery that “2050 rare books” were missing. The HC heard an urgent late-evening petition filed by an academic, Deepak Pawar, who sought a stay of the CC’s order. “There are serious lapses in the functioning of the society prima facie, at least. The election programme for the March 14 meeting is also not produced; no case is made for the grant of interim relief,” Justice Jain said. The HC found no fault with the CC’s reasoning for the stay and rejected the plea to set aside the stay.The Asiatic Society of Mumbai is a 220-year-old library and research institution known for its rare manuscripts and historical artifacts.
