NEDUNGAPRA SERVICE CO-OPERATIVE BANK LTD REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY Vs. PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER/ASSISTANT REGISTRAR OF CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Every Co-operative Society shall prepare a list of its members as on the last date of each co-operative year. The list shall be kept open at the office of the Society during office hours for inspection by any member of the Society free of cost. The above is the insistence of Rule 33(4) of the Kerala Cooperative Societies Rules, 1969.

(2.) It is beyond dispute that the power of supervision and inspection under Section 66 of the Kerala Co-operative Act, 1969 has been delegated to the Assistant Registrar. The Registrar shall supervise or cause to be supervised by a person authorised by him by general or special order in writing in this behalf, the working of several Society as frequently as he may consider necessary. The supervision under under Section 66(1) of the Act may include an inspection of the list of members of the Society.

(3.) The Assistant Registrar in the instant case has only exercised that power by issuing Ext.P4 notice. The fact that he is also a Public Information Officer does not make any difference.