Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) (i) ‘authorised person‘ means a person referred to as such in section 79 of this Act; (ii) ‘bye-laws‘ means the registered bye-laws for the time being in force; (b) ‘committee‘ means the governing body of a Cooperative Society by whatever name called, to which the (c) ‘Co-operative year / Financial Year‘ means, the period commencing on the 1st day of April of every year and ending with the 31st day of March of the succeeding year; (d) ‘dividend‘ means a share of the profits of a society divided among its members in proportion to the share capital held by each of them; (e) ‘federal society‘ means a society to which similar class of societies are affiliated; (e-i) ‘multi-state cooperative society‘ means a society with objects not confined to one State and registered or deemed to be registered under any law for the time being in force relating to such Co-operatives; (f) ‘financing bank‘ means a society, the main object of which is to assist any affiliated or other society by giving loans or advancing moneys; and includes any scheduled bank as defined in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and such other body corporate or financial institution as may be notified by the Government, from time to time, which gives financial or other aid to a society; (g) ‘general body‘ in relation to any society means all the members of the society; (h) ‘general meeting‘ means a meeting of the general body of a society; (i) ‘Government‘ means the State Government; (i-a) ‘gram panchayat‘ means a gram panchayat constituted under section 4 of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act 1994; (j) ‘member‘ means a member of a society, and includes an associate member; (j-i) ‘Mandal Praja Parishad‘ means a Mandal Praja Parishad constituted under section 148 of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 1994; (j-ii) ‘Municipal Corporation‘ means a Municipal Corporation constituted under the relevant law for the time being in force relating to the Municipal Corporations in the State; (j-iii) ‘Municipal Council‘ means a Municipal Council constituted under section 5 of the Telangana Municipalities Act, 1965; (j-iv) ‘near relative‘ means father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nephew and niece; (k) ‘officer‘ includes a person elected or appointed by a society to any office of such society according to its bye-laws and a president, vice-president, chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, manager, member of committee, liquidator or any other person elected or appointed under this Act, the rules or the bye-laws, to give directions in regard to the business of the society; (k-i) ‘office bearer‘ means a President / Chairperson, Vice-President / Vice-Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer of a Co-operative society and includes any other person to be elected by the Board of any Co-operative society; (l) ‘prescribed‘ means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (m) ‘rebate‘ means a share of the profits of a society divided among its members in proportion to the volume of business done by each of them with the society; (n) ‘Registrar‘ means the Central Registrar appointed by the Central Government in relation to the multi-State co-operative societies, the Registrar of Co-operative societies appointed under section 3 in relation to this Act as the case may be and includes any other person on whom all or any of the powers of the Registrar under this Act are conferred; (o) ‘rules‘ means the rules made under this Act; (p) ‘society‘ means a co-operative society registered / deemed to have been registered under this Act / Societies registered under Telangana Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies Act and received land from Government either free of cost or at subsidized price or at market rate and thus deemed to have been registered under this Act; (q) ‘Society with limited liability‘ means a society in which the liability of its members for the debts of the society, in the event of its being wound up, is limited by its bye-laws- (i) to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares held by each of them; or (ii) to such amount as they may undertake to contribute to the assets of the society; (r) ‘society with unlimited liability‘ means a society, the members of which are in the event of its being wound up, jointly and severally liable for and in respect of, all its obligations and to contribute to any deficit in the assets of the society; (s) ‘State‘ means the State of Telangana; (s-i) ‘State Act‘ means any law made by the Legislature of a State; (s-ii) ‘State level co-operative society‘ means a co-operative society having its area of operation extending to the whole of the State; (t) ‘Tribunal‘ means a Tribunal constituted under section 75 and having jurisdiction; (u) ‘Zilla Praja Parishad‘ means a Zilla Praja Parishad constituted under section 177 of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 1994. (2) (a) No person shall, at the same time, be a member of the committees of more than two societies which under the rules, are classified as apex societies or as central societies, or of the committees of more than one apex society and one central society.

(b) If any person, on the date of his election or appointment as a member of the committee, is a member of the committees for two societies as specified in clause (a), and the committee to which he is elected or appointed on that date is the committee of any apex society or central society, then, his election or appointment on the date aforesaid shall be void.

(c) If any person is, at the commencement of the Andhra Pradesh Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act, 1970, a member of the committees of more than two societies of any class or classes specified in clause (a), then at the expiration of the period of ninety days from such commencement, he shall cease to be a member of the committees of all such societies unless he has, before the expiration of the said period of ninety days, resigned his membership of the committees of all but two of such societies.

(d) Nothing in this sub-section shall apply to an officer of the Government who is nominated as a member of the committee by the Government or the Registrar.