Judgment in a lawsuit challenging the selection process for which Carnival bands representative should be on the board of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) is expected to be delivered one month before next year’s celebrations.
High Court Judge Joan Charles set a date of January 10, after she issued deadlines for the filing of additional submissions in the case brought by the T&T Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA) against Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly earlier this year.
While attorneys for both parties had already filed their submissions to facilitate a judgment before the start of the Carnival season, TTCBA rival organisation, the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) recently filed an application to be added as a defendant in the claim.
The application was granted on Tuesday as neither of the other parties raised objections.
Charles said: “They (NCBA) are part of the entire structure and it would only be fair for me to hear what everybody has to say and then make a decision.”
In their lawsuit, the TTCBA is challenging Gadsby-Dolly’s decision to appoint NCBA president David Lopez to NCC’s board for six months in January.
The TTCBA contends that the decision is unfair as it was made while discussions were taking place over which body was “most representative of Carnival bands.”
The NCC’s legislation only states that the body with the designation should be represented on its board but does not name either of the associations.
The TTCBA is also contending that Gadsby-Dolly’s decision was illegal as she is only able to make two-year appointments to commission’s board under the NCC Act.
The group, which claims to have more members than the NCBA, is seeking an order compelling Gadsby-Dolly to have consultations on the issue of representation and for her to come to a final decision on the issue.
Gadsby-Dolly has agreed to refrain from making further appointments until the lawsuit before Charles is determined.
The TTCBA is being represented by Shiv Sharma and Vivek Lakhan-Joseph, while Justin Phelps and Anthony Vieira are representing the NCBA.