Upasana Singh and Nagma Morarji claim legal win in CINTAA leadership battle, saying, ‘Our only motto is Satyameva Jayate,’ as Padmini Kolhapure wins election with 604 votes |
Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) president Upasana Singh and treasurer Nagma Morarji have claimed victory in the body’s leadership and governance dispute. At a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, they alleged misuse of artists’ funds, unauthorised decisions and violation of court directions, and said their fight is about transparency and artists’ welfare.
Upasana Singh says the fight is for truth
According to the ANI report, Upasana Singh said the legal proceedings have so far gone in their favour. She stressed that the battle is not about positions of power.“The struggle… perhaps for them; it is all about holding onto the chair (power), but for us, it is for the truth. Because our only motto is ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs). If we are truthful, we ought to win, and we have won,” Upasana Singh said during a press conference in Mumbai.She added that both the Dindoshi Court and the High Court have so far given rulings in their favour. She said she has faith in the country’s judicial system and is confident about their legal position.
Allegations over artists’ welfare funds
Upasana Singh alleged that the earlier executive committee did not address key concerns of artists, such as long working hours, late payments and the lack of conveyance allowances. She also questioned how the association’s money was used and said a constitutional rule on welfare spending was ignored.According to her, CINTAA earns money from new memberships, yearly dues, rent from leased office properties and interest on fixed deposits. She said, “Jo 9-10 hazar members hain, woh unke 1200 rupaye aate hain.”“In fact, we didn’t even follow what is written in our constitution, that 20 per cent of the funds received by CINTAA must be spent on the welfare of artists,” she said.Upasana Singh said artists struggling with household costs, school fees and medical care for bedridden parents had approached the association for help. She recalled telling the earlier leadership, “For actors who currently have no food at home, whose children cannot pay school fees, or whose parents are bedridden, the tsunami and Covid are happening right now!”She claimed her concerns were ignored and that funds were spent on press conferences and other avoidable expenses.
Claims of fear and show-cause notices
Upasana Singh described an atmosphere of fear in the association. She said members worry that questioning the leadership could lead to show-cause notices, suspension or cancellation of membership cards. She named senior actors Preeti Sapru and Hemant Pandey, besides herself, as people who faced such notices for disagreeing with decisions.She also spoke about the dissolution of the committee. “What kind of organisation changes elected positions at their personal whim? When over 50 per cent of members resigned, the committee stood legally dissolved. But I never resigned! Even to this day, I haven’t resigned. Yet, simply because I accepted the resignations of the outgoing members, they were so enraged that the next day they arbitrarily announced that Padmini Kolhapure was the General Secretary instead of Upasana Singh,” she said.
Nagma Morarji says funds belong to artists
Treasurer Nagma Morarji said the association’s money, assets and records belong to the institution and its members, not to individuals.“I have been a member of this association for 36 years. The entire film and television fraternity is linked to this body; over 10,000 members belong to it,” Nagma Morarji said.“The funds, assets, and records that have accumulated here since 1958 belong solely and exclusively to the association and its artists. They are not anyone’s personal property; they belong to the institution,” she added.Rejecting the idea of a simple clash between two groups, Nagma Morarji continued, “A false narrative was deliberately spun that this was merely an internal dispute between two factions. That was completely misleading. On August 7 itself, once 50 per cent of the executive members submitted their resignations, the committee was officially dissolved. Yet even after its dissolution, they continued running the committee illegally, opened unauthorised bank accounts, and manipulated official paperwork. They moved court against us and FWICE, first approaching the Dindoshi Court and then the High Court. They faced defeat in the Dindoshi Court and were reprimanded by the High Court as well.”
Court order and the election timeline
Nagma Morarji said the elections were scheduled for the 12th. A court order on the 11th upheld the authority of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) to conduct them.“Elections were slated for the 12th. On the 11th, a verdict was delivered in favour of FWICE, affirming that FWICE had full legal authority to conduct the elections. However, the court stipulated that the election results would not be announced until the 26th, and the newly elected body would not assume official actions until then. We strictly complied with that direction,” she added.
Allegations of files being moved
Nagma Morarji claimed that official records were taken out of the CINTAA office on the very day of the order and questioned the urgency.“But the very day that order was passed, they began frantically clearing out official files from the office, loading documents into tempos and moving them elsewhere. Out of whose fear? Why? For what reason? It is an institution with a permanent office; all records must remain there. Why were they shifting files? Why were positions being hastily reassigned? What was the desperate hurry? Both parties could have waited until the 26th; there was no justification for such reckless actions,” said Nagma MorarjiShe alleged that the rival group announced and held separate elections on the 20th and declared results on the 21st, despite the court’s directions. She also accused them of opening bank accounts under unauthorised designations and cashing out artists’ fixed deposits early.“Most crucially, as Upasana ji mentioned, she had never resigned from her post. Even though 50 per cent had resigned, triggering automatic constitutional dissolution of the entire committee—she had not. Yet they continued distributing titles amongst themselves, opened new bank accounts under unauthorised designations, and even prematurely liquidated artists’ Fixed Deposits in Punjab National Bank, misusing the funds,” said the treasurer.
Contempt petition filed in the High Court
Nagma Morarji said her group has approached the High Court with a contempt petition over the alleged violation of its directions.“What was the rush when the court had designated the 26th for a ruling?” Nagma Morarji asked, questioning the decisions taken during the dispute.“The High Court clarified that jurisdiction rested with the City Civil Court, which pronounced its order on the 21st. In light of this, we have filed a contempt petition before the High Court, questioning why they announced and held elections despite the court’s restraint until the 26th. And whose money is being squandered in this entire legal tug-of-war? It is the hard-earned money of artists who have built and protected this institution since 1958,” she said.
What the CINTAA controversy is about
The dispute has sparked a heated debate inside one of India’s key organisations for film and television artists. It involves prominent actors Poonam Dhillon, Padmini Kolhapure and Upasana Singh, along with other members. It centres on leadership, financial accountability, transparency and the handling of official records. The conflict grew in August and September 2026 and brought the association’s governance practices into the spotlight.
CINTAA election results
Meanwhile, the CINTAA Executive Committee elections held on October 20 have concluded. Actors including Anil Kapoor and Rakesh Bedi cast their votes. Padmini Kolhapure won with 604 votes, followed by Poonam Dhillon with 601.The rest of the list were Rakesh Bedi with 575, Kanwarjit Paintal with 548, Chandraprakash Thakur with 514, Abhay Bhaargava with 439, Ghanshyam Shrivastav with 395, Jaya Bhattacharya with 392, Tina Ghai with 374, Rajit Kapur with 340, Sheeba Akashdeep with 322, Ramesh Goyal with 296, Jitendra Singh with 284, Mohd Farooq Bandhukia with 272 and Rohit Roy with 268 votes.
