- Eight elected members of CINTAA's Executive Committee resigned
- Resignations followed allegations of unilateral decisions by Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure
- Members claimed key decisions were made without Executive Committee consultation or approval
Eight elected members of the Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA)'s Executive Committee resigned, saying they had lost confidence in the way the body was being run and wanted fresh elections. Hemant Pandey, Mukesh Rishi, Sahila Chadha, Hetal Parmar, Puneet Issar, Vindu Dara Singh, Vikas Verma and Deepak Parashar vacated their positions with immediate effect.
In a joint letter, the members stated that their decision came after what they described as repeated instances of collective decision-making, consultation and constitutional procedures not being followed. They also alleged that the association's functioning had gradually become concentrated around CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon and Senior Vice President Padmini Kolhapure, along with some other members of the executive committee.
“The President, Poonam Dhillon, has repeatedly taken unilateral decisions, issued official communications through her ID to government officials and unilaterally decided communications to industry bodies. through the official CINTAA ID, and represented the Association in public and with other government, quasi-judicial and industry bodies without the knowledge, consultation, and/or approval of the Executive Committee, thereby nullifying the principle of collective responsibility,” an excerpt from the letter read.
The resigning members alleged that several key decisions were being made without sufficient consultation with the Executive Committee or its approval. They also claimed that Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure visited government offices accompanied by lawyers hired privately.
According to the letter, these lawyers were allegedly presented as CINTAA's legal representatives despite not having received the necessary authorisation from the Executive Committee. The members cited these allegations among the reasons behind their decision to withdraw their support from the association's current functioning.
CINTAA General Secretary Upasana Singh told ANI that 11 members had resigned from the association with eight elected representatives having submitted their resignations along with complaints detailing the reasons behind their decision to step down.
“They have also submitted their complaints, stating that Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon are misusing their positions,” she said.
Meanwhile, CINTAA's counsel Advocate Suvigya Vidyarthi addressed the issue and clarified that the association continues to remain functional and has not been dissolved.
"The version which has been circulating that the EC of CINTAA is dissolved is totally wrong, misconceived and lacks any judicial sanctity. As per the Constitution of CINTAA, the EC shall dissolve only when more than 50% of the elected members of the EC resign, which is not the case at hand. Also, as per the Constitution, new members have been inducted in their place who were next in line by the voting count," Suvigya Vidyarthi said in a statement.