News & Notes 912:Regarding Appeals
Regarding Appeals (from Entity::Auroville Council)
Dear Community, we hereby inform you that the Entity::FAMC are refusing to cooperate with any appeals until the appeal process 2017 is reviewed, citing that the appeal process review is long overdue and that there are substantial issues with the process. This is in the light of the Entity::ATDC also having stated that their decisions should altogether not be appealable unless they validate the appeals themselves. The ATDC have also stated that they are not answerable to the RA.
In 2017 when the appeal process was ratified it was to be reviewed after 1 year. During the first year there were only 3 appeals, which did not provide enough material on how the process might be improved to undergo review. After 2 years a review was initiated but there was no substantial input so it was not concluded. Since then, and 3 more years down the line, we have had 22 appeals in total against working groups which gives us more than enough experience to warrant a review of the process.
The review of the appeal process is already underway and should be brought to the community for an RAD in the next few months. Until then the Council has decided to pause all appeals processes against the FAMC and ATDC until the process is newly ratified or either group again is willing to cooperate. Although the appeal process does state that appeals should be held regardless of working group cooperation it makes little sense to continue because implementation of appeal decisions is impossible without the acceptance of the groups involved and in a wider sense it makes little sense to create such a lack of cohesion in our organization. Also, as per the appeal process there is a 1 month time period for appeals to be received after a decision has been made, this will still apply but appeal requests will be kept in abeyance and started at a later time.
Please be assured that we tried our best to bring the FAMC and the ATDC back on board and that we will bring this subject to the community at the earliest via an RAD process. The pause of appeals against FAMC and ATDC decisions does however still allow for appeals against Wcom and Council to be received.
Kind regards,
Auroville Council