Bhubaneswar, Oct. 8: A local court has ruled that the Berhampur Co-operative Central Bank Ltd completed 100 years in 2016 and there was nothing wrong in holding the centenary celebrations of the institution.

Yesterday, Court of the Registrar of Co-operative Societies allowed the authorities to hold the centenary celebrations of the bank, squashing a petition which had challenged the foundation date of the co-operative central bank operating in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

The bank's management committee, which was preparing for the centenary celebrations last year, heaved a sigh of relief after the judgment. Bank president Alekh Chowdhury said: "We will shortly convene a meeting to chalk out a programme for the celebrations this year. We had started preparations for the centenary celebrations last year, but we could not finally organise it as Basant Kumar Patnaik, one of the directors of the bank, filed a petition challenging the year of foundation of the bank in the court."

The co-operative central bank with 23 branches, including three mahila branches in Berhampur, Paralakhemundi and Samarjhola, is now covering entire seven blocks of Gajapati and eleven blocks of Ganjam districts.

"The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has awarded 'A' class gradation to the bank. We welcome the court's judgment," Chowdhury said.

Patnaik, also an elected member of the management committee, said the bank was a central co-operative society with the registration number J-395 dated December 31, 1936.

"It had celebrated silver jubilee in 1961 and golden jubilee in 1986. Thus, 100 years of the bank will be completed in 2036," Patnaik said.

"Patnaik only submitted the bank's souvenirs in the court to justify his plea - which are not the official documents," Chowdhury said.

The bank is an offshoot of Ganjam District Co-operative Banking Union Ltd, which was bifurcated in 1936, after the formation of new Odisha province.

Ganjam District Co-operative Banking Union Ltd, established on October 8, 1916, was under the Madras Presidency. At that time, part of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and the present Rayagada district were a part of Ganjam. After formation of the Odisha state, Srikakulam district decentralised, and after formation of Koraput district, Rayagada district also decentralised from the area of operation of the bank, Chowdhury said.

After creation of Odisha state in 1936, the registration number - J-395 dated December 31, 1936 - had been issued in favour of the bank by the then authority with the new name as Berhampur Co-operative Central Bank.

"The souvenirs of the silver jubilee and the golden jubilee reflects only the Odisha registration of the bank but not the foundation of the bank," Chowdhury said. This argument was retained by the court and the dispute case was disposed of subsequently.