In the report "Who governs? - II” (Parsiana, August 21-September 6, 2019) pertaining to the meeting of The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) held in Ahmedabad on July 20 and 21, 2019, Pervin Jehangir has been quoted as stating: "The managing committee in Mhow has been suspended by a court order ... should they be represented?”
No such order has ever been issued by any court. Jehangir had made an application dated March 9, 2018 to the Registrar of Public Trusts (ROPT) seeking government takeover of the management of our Anjuman. We had sent to the ROPT our appropriate and detailed reply dated June 6, 2018, rebutting every one of her allegations, exposing her mala fide intentions, and pointing out provisions as they relate to the law. The ROPT has not seen fit to issue any response to our reply, and has kept the matter in abeyance.
Both Tehmton Anklesaria and Farrokh Rustomji, representatives of the FPZAI on our managing committee, are well aware of these facts. Since they were present at the meeting in Ahmedabad where Jehangir made these false allegations, they should have asked her to either produce the court order to which she was referring or else apologize at the meeting itself.
As neither of these actions was taken, for venting her frustration at being soundly defeated in the election to our managing committee in 2014, for not contesting the election in 2017 knowing she would suffer a similar fate as in 2014, for spreading willful and false propaganda against our Anjuman and against the FPZAI at every public opportunity she gets, Jehangir should be immediately suspended from attending all future meetings of the FPZAI. It is totally inappropriate for her to attend such meetings under the guise of representing Illav only to air her rants against the Mhow Anjuman. ZAL J. COWASJI
Honorary secretary and trustee,
Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman, Mhow
My attention has been drawn to the report "Who governs? — II” (Parsiana, August 21-September 6, 2019) about the FPZAI meeting held in Ahmedabad in July and the letter by Zal Cowasji.
I would like to thank you for carrying my objection to FPZAI president Yazdi Desai’s choice of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman, Mhow as one of the five who will represent the 13 anjumans of the North Zone in the powerful executive council of the FPZAI. Not a single North Zone anjuman had given in their nomination for the post.
The words "by a court order” should be omitted from my statement. Instead it should read: "The managing committee in Mhow has been suspended under Sections 2c and 5d of the Amended Bye-laws 2015 under which it was formed on 10-12-2017.”
The three court orders I referred to related to and provided clarity as well as upheld the voting rights of all members of the Mhow Anjuman. The elections of October 26, and December 14, 2014 were conducted in a manner which denied a majority of eligible members of the Mhow Anjuman their right to vote.
As these two elections were conducted without following the prescribed law and rules, it amounted to their being null and void and resulted in the formation of an invalid managing committee with no legal authority to manage the running of the Anjuman or to handle its considerable assets. In fact, even the bye-laws sought to be amended in 2015 did not follow the required, stipulated process and are not validly adopted.
In any case, even if the amended 2015 bye-laws are deemed to be valid, the entire managing committee stands disqualified under Sections 2c and 5d of the 2015 bye-laws themselves.
It is in this context that the managing committee is not validly and legally elected or entitled to act as such. Anyone interested in personally verifying documents is welcome to contact me on 09820636335. PERVIN JEHANGIR
pjehangir@gmail.com
I have read "Who governs? — II” (Parsiana, August 21-September 6, 2019) and request you to obtain, prior to printing, clarifications from the respective anjumans where the trustees or committee members are doing a good job on a voluntary basis. The letter by Zal J. Cowasji, honorary secretary and trustee of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman, Mhow should satisfactorily clarify the issue.
Capt. JAMSHED J. APPOO
jamshedappoo@yahoo.in
The editors reply:
We do seek clarification when receiving material/allegations from parties. But as Pervin Jehangir’s statement was made on the floor of The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India meeting, we carried it as is.
In a two-day meet many allegations are made and it is not always possible for Parsiana to check on all of them.