NCUI-NCCT matter failed to come up for hearing yet again on Thursday due to the promotion of central government standing counsel Sanjeev Narula as a High Court judge. Mr Narula who was representing NCCT side in the case was promoted by the apex court (SC) collegium which also promoted senior advocates Jyoti Singh, Anup Bhambhani, Manoj Kr Ohri, and advocate Prateek Jalan, for appointment as judges of the high court.
NCCT’s newly appointed counsel was too new to grasp the matter in entirety so soon and pleaded before the court at 10.30 am on Thursday for a future date. He said he has been given the case only yesterday (Wednesday) evening and as such had no time to study the matter of the case. He asked for a next date.
The bench is said to have asked him to read notes and get ready for the afternoon hearing at 2.30 pm when the matter was slated to come for hearing. The Counsel showed his inabilities citing the large number of files relating to the case which he needed to go through.
At this, the bench put the next date of hearing on 17th December. NCUI’s Senior Advocate Harish Malhotra and Adv Om Prakash were ready with their arguments but they had no luck to argue these, said an NCUI official present in the court.
The matter had failed to come up for hearing last month in October as the Bench found itself overburdened with cases. NCUI’s Advocates and officials had waited till 4.30 PM but to no avail. As regarding Thursday hearing, it became obvious in the first half only that the matter has been postponed.
The case has failed to progress in the last four dates. NCUI’s CE N Satyanarayan was very hopeful this time as the Bench had allotted the matter a specific time at 2.30 on 1st of November. “But what can one do when the standing counsel is promoted”, he said.
It bears recall that NCUI had received a letter from Agriculture Ministry with the title “Establishing National Council of Cooperative Training (NCCT) as an independent, Central and Professional entity-delinking from National Cooperative Union of India”.
The letter said due to NCUI’s control, NCCT failed to achieve its aims. The reputation of its premier institute VAMNICOM also suffered due to intense politicking and mismanagement. These facts are vehemently opposed by the NCUI.
