Election embargo

Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chairman Minoo Shroff has decided to step down from the board of trustees in August 2007. Though his term of office was to expire in August 2009, the corporate consultant decided not to move the court for completion of his term. The revised scheme limits the number of years a trustee can serve to 21. After several legal consultations with counsel Rafiq Dada, the BPP will now move the High Court to finalize the revised election scheme. The matter also had been pending since April 2005 as the contentious issue of whether to seek an extension or not for Shroff held up the BPP’s application to the court. Second in seniority, trustee Dinshaw Mehta would therefore be the next chairman of the BPP.

Shroff: ending term in 2007

The trusteeship election for the seat left vacant on the demise of esteemed social worker Silloo Kavarana scheduled for December 10 has also been postponed as there was uncertainty over whether the revised procedures or the old ones were to be followed and also whether the old or new Anjuman Committee (AC) should elect the next trustee. The trustees, therefore, decided to let the court decide the issue.

(Top row, from left) Nawaz Mody, Arnavaz Mistry and Yazdi Desai;( alongside) Framroze Mirza and Rustom Tirandaz

Of the five candidates, Yazdi Desai, Ervad Framroze Mirza, Arnavaz Mistry, Dr Nawaz Mody and Rustom Tirandaz who expressed their intention of standing, the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) hopeful Desai lobbied for the AC elections being held first and then the trusteeship election. The new AC which will consist of donors and elected representatives in the ratio of one (donor) to two (elected representatives) will thereafter elect the trustees. WAPIZ has filed a caveat with the court thus obliging the premier trust to give them notice of any application being made to the court.