Bombay Catholic Sabha Faces Election Dispute; Members Move Charity Commissioner

Mumbai: Members of the Orlem, Malad, unit of the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) have complained to the Charity Commissioner about alleged discrepancies in the election process to the managing committee. The issue was raised at the annual general meeting of the BCS at the Our Lady of Salvation Church (Portuguese Church) hall last week.

The president of the BCS, Dolphy D'Souza, dismissed the allegations, saying that the controversy was caused by 'groupism'. He said that a tribunal set up to probe the allegations has validated the elections.

The BCS, affiliated to the All India Catholic Union, is one of the largest Christian organisations in the country, with over 50,000 members. The association is recognised by the Archdiocese of Bombay and represents members of the church who are not part of the organised clergy. The group is involved in civic, political, social and political activities. Members of the managing committees for the central body and its units are selected through elections.

The BCS' Orlem unit has alleged that the elections in their area were held without a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Charity Commissioner. The NOC is required because there is an ongoing case with the Charity Commissioner about elections held for the 2022-2025 committee.

According to the complaint, the election process for the committee which has a three-year term, started in July. The election process, including the scrutiny of candidates and the withdrawal of candidature was not done as per rules, it is alleged. “We raised concerns with the Charity Commissioner and the Archdiocese of Bombay about the discrepancies and requested that the elections should be put on hold,” said Leon Gomes, an Orlem resident and an aspirant in the elections. He said that the list of candidates declared eligible to contest the election was not published on the BCS letterhead and was declared using email, raising questions about the credibility of the process. Gomes alleged that this indicated rigging and malpractices.

D'Souza said that the complainants are people who lost in the elections. “The claims of rigging are being done by those who lost the elections. The elections were conducted according to the constitution of the organisation. The tribunal has listened to the grievances and has said that there were no malpractices,” said D'Souza.

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