Chapter IV MANAGEMENT OF CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES

(1) The final authority in a co-operative society shall vest in the general body of members;(1-A) Notwithstanding anything in sub-section (1), where a co-operative society consists of not less than such number of members as may be prescribed, the society may provide in its bye-laws for the constitution of a smaller general body designated as the representative general body, to be elected in the prescribed manner for a term of three years, consisting of such number of members of the society and to exercise all or such of the powers of the general body as may be specified in the bye-laws, and thereupon any reference in this Act to the general body or meeting thereof shall be construed as a reference to the representative general body or its meetings : Provided that the representative general body shall not alter any provision in the bye-laws relating to its constitution or powers.(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2) of section 19, each delegate shall have one vote in the affairs of the society.

A general meeting of a co-operative society shall be held once in a year for the purpose of -(a) approval of the programme of the activities of the society prepared by the committee for the ensuing year;(b) election, if any, of the members of the committee other than nominated members ;(c) consideration of the audit report and the annual report ;(d) disposal of the net profits ; and(e) consideration of any other matter which may be brought forward in accordance with the bye-laws : Provided that where the committee of any co-operative society has divided the area of operation of the society into zones in the manner laid down in sub-section (1-A) of section 26, election of the members of the committee may not be held in general meeting.

(1) The committee of a co-operative society may, at any time call a special general meeting of the society and shall call such meeting within one month after the receipt of a requisition in writing from the Registrar or from such number of members or a proportion of the total number of members, as may be provided in the bye-laws. (2) If a special general meeting of a co-operative society is not called in accordance with the requisition referred to in sub-section (1), the Registrar or any person authorised by him in this behalf shall have the power to call such meeting and that meeting shall be deemed to be a meeting called by the committee.

(1) (a) If the record, registers or the books of accounts of a co-operative society are likely to be tampered with or destroyed and the fund and property of a society are likely to be misapropriated or misapplied ; or (b) If the committee of a co-operative society is reconstituted at a general meeting of the society or, the committee of a society is removed by the Registrar under section 27 or if the society is ordered to be wound up under section 57 and the outgoing members of the committee refuse to hand over charge of the records and property of the society to those having or entitled to receive such charge; the Registrar may apply to the magistrate, within whose jurisdiction the society functions, for securing the records and property of the society. (2) On receipt of an application under sub-section (1), the Magistrate may, by a warrant, authorise any police officer not below the rank of Sub-Inspector, to enter and search any place where the records and the property are kept or are believed to be kept and to seize such records and property, and the records and property so seized shall be handed over to the new committee or administrator of the society or the liquidator as the case may be.

No act of a co-operative society or of any committee or of any officer shall be deemed to be invalid by reason only of the existence of any defect in procedure or in the constitution of the society or of the committee or in the appointment or election of an officer or on the ground that such officer was disqualified for his appointment.