Cuttack, Oct. 19: The Orissa government today justified before the high court that elected bodies were replaced by nominated committees to manage the affairs of 93 cooperative societies by use of “administrative discretion” because of “administrative exigency”.

In an affidavit filed today, the government said: “After the coming into force of the Orissa Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2011, on September 24, the registrar had the choice to manage the societies himself or to nominate committee to manage the affairs of the said societies.”

“The registrar has used his administrative discretion in the absence of any specific rule for such temporary arrangement of the committee of management formation, except the condition that the members so chosen must be members of the cooperative society,” the affidavit said.

The government had superseded cooperative societies in the state by issuing separate orders on September 24 following enforcement of the Orissa Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2011, for which the bill was passed during the last mosoon session of the Assembly.

The registrar of cooperative societies (Orissa), Bipin Bihari Mohapatra, said: “The nominations of the committee of management for the first batch in 93 cooperative societies out of the approximately 7,000 cooperative societies were made on the ground of administrative exigency.”

“Most of them are required to meet the day-to-day functions to cater to the need of farmers and achievement of socio-economic programmes floated through cooperative organisations, such as cooperative banks, regional cooperartive marketing societies and wholesale cooperative societies,” Mohapatra said.