When the Bombay High Court division bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Vinay Joshi set May 23, 2021 as the fresh date for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship elections they had ruled that no extension would be permitted under any circumstances except in case of a lockdown declared by the state. Within nine days of their ruling on March 12, two community activists Phiroze Amroliwalla and Zeree Jehangirji who are from former BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta’s camp issued a letter to the BPP trustees and Mulla and Mulla advocate Y. P. Dandiwala. They questioned the trustees’ haste to announce dates for the rescheduled elections in the three Parsi weeklies.
Their letter noted, "We believe that such public notice can be issued only after the judge in chamber has approved the fresh dates of extension… We also believe that no petition/application has even been moved before the judge in chamber… Under these circumstances, the public notice issued yesterday is premature and done without due authority of law and therefore ineffective and illegal. Given this lacuna, we intend to intervene in your application to the judge in chamber…”
The duo asserted that the fresh date of elections should be "fixed after the vaccination process is completed which is expected around the end of August 2021 and not the manipulative date fixed by the two warring factions of present trustees each with their own agendas…”
From l: Zeree Jehangirji, Phiroze Amroliwalla, Ervad Rooyintan Peer
(Kathawalla and Joshi had drawn up the schedule in the Court on March 12 but as the formality of informing the Charity Commissioner was to be completed, the publication of the dates was held back then — editors)
Yet another letter to the trustees was written by Ervad Rooyintan Peer who stated that this election should be "altogether cancelled.” He maintained that his suggestion was not influenced by any "political consideration or configuration but made purely from the viewpoint of benefitting our community… The given date of May 23 seems to be too near for comfort for the very reason the said election was postponed.” According to him the election scheme by adult franchise envisages all seven seats be contested at one time, every seven years. The next round of ‘general election’ being due in October 2022, he felt the current elections for two seats be deferred to next year when elections for five seats could be held in April/May 2022 instead of October, saving Rs 40 lakhs of election expenditure. He was hoping advocate Khushroo Zaiwala would approach the courts to put forth his view.
In the meanwhile Dr Zuleika Homavazir who is determined to contest this election has managed to remain in the public eye. Her candidature was upheld by the appeal court on March 11 after being disqualified by the trustees to contest on the ground that her name was proposed by Rustom Jeejeebhoy who is allegedly not a Parsi Zoroastrian. He is said to be a Christian. When campaigning, she had received considerable flak for claiming ownership rights on a Rustom Baug flat for which she was the highest bidder with the matter pending in the High Court. On learning that the trustees had made an exception for Cusrow Baug resident Hoshi Jal who was reportedly granted tenancy status in 2021, she sent them a letter on March 24 requesting "an amicable and unconditional out of court settlement under which I am agreeable for an alternate arrangement to accept tenancy rights in respect of the flat acquired by me under the auction sale, in the larger interest of the community…”
As per the new schedule agreed in Court, the last date for filing of nominations is April 12 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 26. The membership registers stand frozen as of March 22. Voters who need duplicate certificates have to apply latest by May 19, the last date for collecting certificates being May 21. P. M. G.