Offences and penalties

Offences and penalties:-

1. (1) Any person who—
   • (a) willfully makes a false return or furnishes false information or willfully fails to furnish any information required by this Act or the rules or the bye-laws;
   • (b) willfully or without any reasonable excuse disobeys any summons, requisition or lawful written order issued under the provisions of this Act or does not produce or cause to be produced any document or book, account, record or other material required for the production of which an order has been made under this Act;
   • (c) knowingly acts as an officer or member of a committee when not eligible to do so;
   • (d) willfully fails to comply with any order issued under sub-section
2. (5) of Section 16;
   • (e) willfully fails to comply with any order issued under sub-section
3. (2) of Section 37;
   • (f) willfully fails to comply with any order of the Registrar issued under Section 54, Section 55 or Section 71;
   • (g) being a member of a committee, fails to take immediate action to initiate prosecution of any person for co-operative offence or any other offence under any other law applicable;
   • (h) willfully fails to handover the books, accounts, records or other property to the new committee or to the special officer or the managing committee or any other person appointed under this Act, on the expiry of the term of the committee or on dissolution, supersession or de-registration of the society;
     • (i) being a member of a committee, willfully refuses to carry out the resolutions of the general body;
   • (j) willfully misuses or misapplies the property and funds of the society; shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.
4. (2) Every officer or employee of a society who willfully makes, or causes to be made, any false entry in any book, account, record or document which a society is required to maintain under this Act or the rules, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.
5. (3) No court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act except with the previous sanction of the Registrar, in writing.
6. (4) No court inferior to the court of a Magistrate of the First Class shall try any offence under this Act.