The Madras High Court on Friday stayed a recent order of a Registrar of Societies here cancelling the registration of environmental group Greenpeace India Society.

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday stayed a recent order of a Registrar of Societies here cancelling the registration of environmental group Greenpeace India Society.

Hearing a petition by the Greenpeace seeking to quash the 4 November last order of the District Registrar, Chennai Central Registration Department, Justice M M Sundresh granted the interim stay and issued notice to the District Registrar to reply within four weeks.

Greenpeace India Executive Director Vinuta Gopal, in the petition, contended that the order was false and it contravened the orders already passed on 4 August this year.

He contended that the Registrar had failed to comply with the principles of natural justice in denying the petitioner an opportunity to defend his case before passing the order and thereby contravened the TN Societies Registration Act and the rules thereunder. The Registrar had no jurisdiction to do so.

As a charitable organisation, the petitioner depended on donations received from the public, he submitted.

He claimed that the action of the Registrar had already impacted the public contribution with a resultant "chilling effect on the fundamental rights" of the society and its members to establish and freely operate an association and the right to freedom of expression.

The society would be put to irreparable loss and harm if the cancellation order was not quashed/stayed, the petitioner contended.

PTI