Vellappally shown the door after 29 yrs; record-breaking tenure as SNDP general secretary ends

Cherthala: Vellappally Natesan is set to vacate the position of general secretary of the SNDP Yogam after a historic tenure of 29 years and four months. Having assumed the role on November 17, 1996, his consecutive leadership marks the longest reign in the history of the organisation.

His journey to the helm began on February 3, 1996, when he took over as secretary of the SN Trust. Later that year, he succeeded K Gopinathan to become the 26th general secretary of the Yogam.

The current transition follows an order by Justice T R Ravi on a petition filed in 2024 by Professor M K Sanu and others, seeking the appointment of an administrator or receiver for the Yogam's governance. The High Court has also disqualified the current administrative committee, which included general secretary Vellappally Natesan, president M N Soman and vice-president Tushar Vellappally as respondents.

Voting rights dispute

Currently, elections within the Yogam follow a representative voting system, where one representative is elected for every 200 members. Although the last election was held in 2014, the scheduled 2019 elections were stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the High Court initially ruled that all members should be granted voting rights. However, the Yogam leadership challenged this before a Division Bench, arguing it was impractical for an organisation with 32.57 lakh (3.25 million) members, leading to the order being set aside.

Vellappally refrains from commenting

Following the High Court order disqualifying him from the position of SNDP Yogam general secretary, Vellappally Natesan has refrained from making an official statement. Although journalists arrived at his residence seeking a reaction to the verdict, his office informed them that he was resting due to a headache.

His office staff further stated that he intends to comment only after receiving and thoroughly reviewing a copy of the court order.

It is understood that Vellappally Natesan has already initiated consultations with legal experts regarding the ruling. Sources indicate that an appeal is likely to be filed before a Division Bench of the High Court as early as Friday.