New Delhi: The Central Information Commission
has directed the Delhi Government to make public the annual
returns of all the co-operative societies and place those
records on its website.
The case relates to a plea of an RTI applicant, who was
also a member of cooperative group housing society. She had
complained to the Registrar, Cooperative societies that her
name was not mentioned on its website.
Applicant Jasvinder Kaur submitted she is a holder of a
share certificate in a co-operative group housing society and
fears that her membership has been illegally revoked.
When she filed an RTI application, it was wrongly
returned saying fee should be submitted in the favour of
Registrar, Cooperative Societies.
Kaur further mentioned that the website of the registrar
does not contain the annual returns, which includes details of
audits, inquires, memberships among others to be submitted by
each co-operative society.
She said in the absence of any returns being filed by the
co-operative societies and their publication, it is difficult
for legitimate members to find out their status and it
inculcates malafide interests and opaqueness in the
functioning of these bodies.
She said these details should be placed pro-actively as
mandated under section four of the RTI Act.
Agreeing with the contentions of the applicant,
Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi directed, "annual
returns of all co-operative societies shall be displayed
pro-actively on the website of the department within one month
of receipt of the Annual Returns."
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, August 09, 2011, 15:08