The Madras High Court has appointed noted industrialist P. Vijayakumar Reddy as the interim administrator of Kumara Rajah Muthiah School of Traditional Arts and Crafts, which runs the Chettinad Vidyashram school in Chennai. The appointment has been made pursuant to the demise of the registered society’s secretary Meena Muthiah on May 2, 2026.

Justice N. Senthilkumar passed the orders pursuant to a few applications filed jointly by industrialist M.A.M.R. Muthiah, his wife Geetha Muthiah, and five others. The applicants had questioned a managing committee meeting convened by two society members – K.T.R. Raja Karuppan Chetty and C. Chockalingam – instead of convening a general body meeting to elect a new secretary.

After hearing elaborate arguments advanced by senior counsel M.S. Krishnan, V. Raghavachari, J. Ravindran, and advocate Nithyaesh Natraj for the applicants, the judge concurred with them that the May 7, 2026, notice intended at convening the managing committee meeting had not been issued by the two individuals concerned strictly in accordance with the bylaws of the society.

‘Unilaterally convened meeting’

The court agreed with the submissions made on behalf of Mr. Muthiah and the other applicants that clause 22 of the bylaws of the society requires a requisition to the secretary by at least two members for the convening of the managing committee meeting. However, in the present case, no such requisition had been made, and the two individuals had unilaterally convened the meeting on their own.

Further, the bylaws require a clear seven days’ notice before convening the meeting. “Such a requirement cannot be construed merely from the date mentioned in the notice, rather, it must be reckoned from the date on which the notice is actually received by the members concerned. It is the responsibility of the respondents to ensure that the notice is served upon the persons concerned at least seven clear days prior to the proposed meeting. The period of seven days must fully expire before the meeting can validly be convened,” the judge wrote.

He went on to state: “Since the secretary is no more, due to her sudden demise, the proper course available under the circumstances would be to convene a general body meeting by issuing due notice to all parties concerned. In view of the extraordinary situation created by the death of the secretary and the resignation of the treasurer, the only permissible method to convene a meeting would be through the general body, which alone is competent to decide upon filling up the vacancies in the posts of secretary and treasurer (who had resigned). It is also the general body which is empowered to elect or select the members of the managing committee.”

Justice Senthilkumar said “there was no flaming hurry warranting deviation from the procedure prescribed under the bylaws,” and injuncted the conduct of the managing committee meeting. He also restrained Mr. Chetty and Mr. Chockalingam from interfering with the day-to-day affairs, control, management, and financial transactions of the registered society as well as the Chettinad Vidyasharam school pending disposal of the case.

However, in the interregnum, since the school must be allowed to function smoothly without any impediment, the judge appointed Mr. Reddy, the incumbent president of the managing committee, as the interim administrator of the society. He said, the president would be the competent person to administer the society because of his experience and knowledge.