Kunickaa Sadanand: Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure took papers from CINTAA office

The ongoing dispute within the Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) has escalated, with allegations of documents being removed from the organisation’s office amid an ongoing legal battle and a court-ordered election. Speaking about the latest developments, Kunickaa Sadanand expressed deep disappointment over the situation in a video, saying, "I am very saddened to see the state of CINTAA today. I have never seen such behaviour from any committee in the last 40 years." Recounting the events, she said they were informed about the removal of documents from the office and rushed to the scene. She said in the video, "I was returning from the airport when I got a call from Manish Chaturvedi ji and Preeti ji. They told me that the CINTAA office, 'the previous committee, which is technically an illegal committee, is taking the papers in a hurry. You should reach there immediately'. They reached the police station." According to Kunickaa, the matter was taken to the police, who allegedly said that they could not prevent the removal of the documents without an order from the Charity Commissioner. "The police said that 'we cannot stop them. You should get an order from the Charity Commission'. It is obvious that we will have to go to the Charity Commission tomorrow to get an order. We will have to give an application to them, but till then, whatever tampering has to be done… I am not saying that they are going to tamper, but why were they taking the papers? What was their need? This creates a doubt as to why they transported the papers from our court CINTAA office. They were sending it to the office in Kartik Complex. The tempo went there." Sadanand further alleged that people associated with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) intervened and stopped the vehicle carrying the documents. "Luckily, the people of FWICE stopped the tempo they put the papers in CINTAA's office and put a lock on it. When all this was going on, we even asked the police, that when they showed you the papers and everything, why did you let it go? The police said that 'It is not in our hands.' We also explained to them that this is a public trust office and this is CINTAA's office. These people are entering there illegally. They are not supposed to be in the office. They have no access to any paper, to any account." She further noted that the removal or handling of documents amounted to tampering, particularly with an election having already been ordered by the court In her video, she claimed that there was video footage showing several individuals "were loading papers in Poonam ji's car. We took a video of that and then asked the police to stop them." The member said the police temporarily stopped the process and examined documents. "After that, they said, 'These are our court papers.' With great difficulty, the police showed us those papers. Some of those were court papers, but the next hearing is on the 16th, so let them be, you lock them up." She added, "The police also suggested that you lock them up and keep the keys with you. But still, they did not listen." "I don't know which ministers have been called, because the police officers were not listening to us. And this is very wrong. We are going to take very serious action," she added. Revealing Padmini Kolhapure's alleged explanation for taing away the documents, she said, "Padmini ji said, 'I am taking the papers for safeguarding.' Who are you safeguarding from? There are so many people sitting here. Will they let anyone steal?" She also alleged that there was an altercation, adding, "Poonam ji tried to snatch his phone and break it. We held her hand. Poonam ji was not allowing us to take a video. We told her, 'Poonam ji, we can't expect this from you'." She went on to add, "The police allowed us to put a lock on a carton of papers they had kept in a room. And on top of that, because the lock system was different, we took a video of it. And the locking system that was on top, we put some tape on it." Concluding the statement, she said, "I just want to tell you that I am very saddened. The great artists who established CINTAA could never have imagined that this day would come. I mean, I haven't seen members of the committee behave like this for 40 years." Former CINTAA General Secretary Upasana Singh alleged that the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) committee had been dissolved after 11 members resigned, claiming that the formation of a new committee was against the association's constitution. Singh said that as per CINTAA's constitution, the committee stands dissolved if 50 per cent or more members resign. A press briefing was held regarding the ongoing constitutional crisis within CINTAA and the need to restore democratic functioning through fresh elections. According to the press release, 8 out of 15 elected members of the CINTAA Executive Committee resigned, resulting in more than 50 per cent of the elected positions becoming vacant. Under Clause 18(F)(iii) of the CINTAA Constitution, the Executive Committee consequently stands dissolved, and fresh elections are required. Upasna Singh has approached FWICE seeking its intervention to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The release also raises concerns over former President Poonam Dhillon and former Vice President Padmini Kolhapure allegedly continuing to convene meetings, issue communications and pass resolutions despite the dissolution of the Executive Committee. The press release highlights concerns over lack of transparency, collective decision-making and democratic functioning within CINTAA. Upasna Singh stated that the issue is not a battle between individuals but a fight to protect CINTAA's Constitution, democratic governance and the rights of its members, and called for fresh elections under FWICE supervision.