Mumbai Deputy Registrar Disqualifies 8 Society Committee Members Over Records

The Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, K/East Division, Mumbai, has disqualified eight managing committee members of Green Acres Co-operative Housing Society in Andheri East from holding committee office for five years. The order, passed under Section 154B-23(1)(iii) of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, followed a complaint by a society member who said the committee never gave him documents he was legally entitled to see.

What the member asked for

The member had sought ten categories of records, including committee meeting minutes from January 2022 to April 2025, correspondence with the Registrar's office, structural audit certificates filed with the BMC, legal and audit expenses, and records of redevelopment-related meetings. The Deputy Registrar first directed the society in September 2025 to hand over the documents within 45 days. When the society still did not comply, an authorised officer was appointed in March 2026 to force the issue — but most of the requested records were still never furnished.

Why the society's defence failed

The society argued the member hadn't explained why he needed the records and hadn't paid full copying charges. The Deputy Registrar rejected this, citing Section 154B-8 of the MCS Act, which gives every member the right to inspect and obtain copies of specified society records without stating a reason. The order also referred to a Bombay High Court ruling holding that supplying such records is a mandatory duty of the managing committee, not a discretionary courtesy.

What this means for housing societies

• A member does not have to justify why they want committee minutes, audit reports, or financial records — Section 154B-8 entitles them to copies on payment of the prescribed fee alone.
• Ignoring a Registrar's document-production order, even after an authorised officer is appointed to assist, can result in the entire committee being barred from holding office for five years under Section 154B-23(1)(iii).
• Committees should maintain an organised, readily retrievable record of minutes, audits, legal expenses, and redevelopment correspondence, since delays in producing these are treated as non-compliance rather than administrative difficulty.

Committees facing a member's records request should respond within the statutory window and keep proof of compliance, since disputes that reach the Registrar's office now carry a real risk of disqualification rather than a warning.