1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Multi-State Co-operative
Societies Act, 2002.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date1
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and any
reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the
coming into force of that provision.
2. Application.—This Act shall apply to—
(a) all co-operative societies, with objects not confined to one State which were incorporated
before the commencement of this Act,—
(i) under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 (2 of 1912), or
(ii) under any other law relating to co-operative societies in force in any State or in pursuance
of the Multi-unit Co-operative Societies Act, 1942 (6 of 1942) or the Multi-State Co-operative
Societies Act, 1984 (51 of 1984),
and the registration of which has not been cancelled before such commencement; and
(b) all multi-State co-operative societies.
3. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “area of operation” means the area from which the persons are admitted as members;
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[(aa) “Authority” means the Co-operative Election Authority established under sub-section (1)
of section 45;]
(b) “board” means the board of directors or the governing body of a multi-State co-operative
society, by whatever name called, to which the direction and control of the management of the affairs
of the society is entrusted;
(c) “bye-laws” means the bye-laws for the time being in force which have been duly registered or
deemed to have been registered under this Act and includes amendments thereto which have been
duly registered or deemed to have been registered under this Act;
(d) “Central Registrar” means the Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies appointed 3
[as per
clause (f) of article 243ZH of the Constitution read with sub-section (1) of section 4] and includes any
officer empowered to exercise the powers of the Central Registrar under sub-section (2) of that
section;
1. 19th August, 2002, vide notification No. G.S.R. 571(E), dated 16th August, 2002, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary,
Part II, sec. 3(i).
2. Ins. by Act 11 of 2023, s. 2 (w.e.f. 3-8-2023).
3. Subs. by s. 2, ibid., for “under sub-section (1) of section 4” (w.e.f. 3-8-2023).
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(e) “Chief Executive” means a Chief Executive of a multi-State co-operative society appointed
under section 51;
(f) “co-operative bank” means a multi-State co-operative society which undertakes banking
business;
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[(fa) “Co-operative Ombudsman” means the Ombudsman appointed by the Central Government
under section 85A;]
(g) “co-operative principles” means the co-operative principles specified in the First Schedule;
(h) “co-operative society” means a society registered or deemed to be registered under any law
relating to co-operative societies for the time being in force in any State;
2* * * * *
(j) “Deposit Insurance Corporation” means the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee
Corporation established under section 3 of the Deposit Insurance Corporation Act, 1961 (47 of 1961);
(k) “federal co-operative” means a federation of co-operative societies registered under this Act
and whose membership is available only to a co-operative society or a multi-State co-operative
society;
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[(ka) “financial year”, in relation to any multi-State co-operative society or class of such
societies, means the year ending on the 31st day of March of the year and where the accounts of such
society or class of such societies are, with the previous sanction of the Central Registrar, balanced on
any other day, the year ending on such day;]
(l) “general body”, in relation to a multi-State co-operative society, means all the members of that
society and in relation to a national co-operative society or a federal co-operative means all the
delegates of member co-operative societies or delegates of multi-State co-operative societies and
includes a body constituted under the first proviso to sub-section (1) of section 38;
(m) “general meeting” means a meeting of the general body of a multi-State co-operative society
and includes special general meeting;
(n) “member” means a person joining in the application for the registration of a multi-State
co-operative society and includes a person admitted to membership after such registration in
accordance with the provisions of this Act, the rules and the bye-laws;
(o) “member co-operative” means a co-operative society or a multi-State co-operative society
which is member of a federal co-operative;
(p) “multi-State co-operative society” means a society registered or deemed to be registered under
this Act and includes a national co-operative society and a Federal co-operative;
(q) “multi-State co-operative society with limited liability” means a society having the liability of
its members limited by its bye-laws to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares, respectively, held by
them or to such amount as they may, respectively, thereby undertake to contribute to the assets of the
society, in the event of its being wound up;
(r) “national co-operative society” means a multi-State co-operative society specified in the
Second Schedule;
(s) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette 3
[and the expression
‘notified’ with its cognate meanings and grammatical variations shall be construed accordingly;]
(t) “officer” means a president, vice-president, chairperson, vice-chairperson, managing director,
secretary, manager, member of a board, treasurer, liquidator, an administrator appointed under section
123 and includes any other person empowered under this Act or the rules or the bye-laws to give
directions in regard to the business of a multi-State co-operative society;
(u) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules;
1. Ins. by Act 11 of 2023, s. 2, (w.e.f. 3-8-2023).
2. Clause (i) omitted by s. 2, ibid. (w.e.f. 3-8-2023).
3. Ins. by s. 2, ibid. (w.e.f. 3-8-2023).
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(v) “Reserve Bank” means the Reserve Bank of India constituted under the Reserve Bank of India
Act, 1934 (2 of 1934);
(w) “rules” means the rules made under this Act.