Duty to provide information and documents to members

56. (1)(a) Every self-supporting co-operative society shall within a period of six months from the closure of the financial year, provide to its members, the following information and documents, namely :— (i) audited annual statement of accounts ; (ii) plan for disposal of profits as approved by the general body ; (iii) up-to-date list of members, Directors and other office bearers of the self-supporting co-operative society ; (iv) amendment if any, made in the bye-laws of the self-supporting co-operative society ; (v) dates of holding of general body meetings ; (vi) date of conducting elections ; and (vii) compliance report in respect of special audit report and inquiry report. In case, the members of a self-supporting co-operative society are not provided the information and documents mentioned under sub-section (1), they shall have the right to seek information by making an application in writing to the Board. On receipt of such an application, the Board shall provide requisite information and documents within a period of fifteen days from the date of the receipt of the application ; and (b) In case, the Board fails to provide the information and documents referred to in clause (a), the members may make an application to the Registrar for seeking such information and documents, who shall on receipt of such application, direct, the self-supporting co-operative society to provide the requisite information and documents. The direction of the Registrar shall be binding on the self-supporting co-operative society and in case, such society fails to comply with the direction of the Registrar, the Registrar may order for conducting a special audit under section 51 or an inquiry under section 53, as he deems fit. (2) The Board shall furnish the following information and documents to the Registrar every year within a period of thirty days from the holding of the annual general meeting, namely :— (i) annual report of activities of the self-supporting co-operative society ; (ii) annual financial statement of accounts as audited ; (iii) a statistical statement indicating the name of the self-supporting co-operative society and core services, offered by such society to its members, total number of members as on the last date of the financial year ; (iv) services provided to the members and to non-members and surplus or deficit of the financial year ; and (v) disposal of surplus or management of deficit. (3) The person conducting an inquiry, may fix a reasonable period for the purpose of compliance of the provisions of sub-section (2), and such compliance shall be mandatory on the person required to provide that information.