Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) No person shall be admitted as a member of a society except the following, namely:-- (a) an individual-- (i) Who has attained the age of eighteen years; Provided that this sub-clause shall not apply in the case of a society formed exclusively for the benefit of the students of any school or college. (ii) Who is not of unsound mind; (iii) Who is a resident within, or is in occupation of land in the are of operation of the society; 29AB[(ia) in the case of Youth Co-operative Societies, who has not attained the age of forty-five years: Provided that on attaining forty-five years, the membership of such members shall cease to exist and they shall become associate members of the society.] (b) any other society; [(ba) local self government] (c) the Government; and (d) any body of persons, whether incorporated or not and whether or not established by or under any law, if such body is approved by the Government in this behalf by general or special order; Provided that in a society formed for the promotion of the economic interest of its members through a specified activity no person other than who is likely to be benefited directly by such activity may be admitted as a member of such society unless such admission is permitted specifically by rules. Provided further that where a society is formed exclusively for the benefit of persons engaged in any particular industry, no person who is not an actual worker in the industry shall be admitted in excess of such percentage of the total membership of the society as may be prescribed. Provided also that the Coffee Board, the Rubber Board and any other statutory or non-statutory Board, committee or Corporation constituted for the purpose of the development of an industry, may be admitted as a member of a society engaged in marketing and processing of the products of the industry concerned and formed for the workers and growers of such industry, so however that no such Board, Committee or Corporation shall be admitted as a member of a Cooperative credit society. [Provided also that in the case of hospital Cooperative societies, industrial and commercial establishments and other organisations registered under any other law may be admitted as members. Explanation.-- For the purpose of this sub-section hospital Cooperative society means a society, the main object of which is to run a hospital or to conduct medical or paramedical courses or to run medical shops;] 29AA[Provided also that in the case of Anand Pattern Milk Cooperative Societies, no dairy farmers other than those who own one or more milch cows or buffaloes and residing within the area of operation of the society or running dairy farms in their own land or in leased land within the area of operation of the society and pouring milk not less than ninety days within a period of one hundred and twenty days in a year to the society, shall be admitted as members.] (2) Membership in any society other than a society formed for the benefit of the Scheduled castes or the Scheduled Tribes shall not be refused merely on the ground that a person belongs or does not belong to a particular religion, race, community, caste, sect or denomination. A decision on an application for membership shall be taken within two months from the date of receipt of the application. [(2A) Where an application for membership in a society is not disposed of within the time specified in sub-section (2), the Registrar shall be bound, on the written request of the applicant, to determine whether such membership shall be given or not; (2B) Where the Registrar does not, within one month of the date of receipt of such written request, determine whether such membership should be given, or not, the applicant may make a representation,-- (a) before the Registrar, if the request referred to sub-section (2A) is made to a person on whom, the powers of the Registrar is conferred under sub-section (2) of S.3; or (b) before the Government, if the request referred to in sub section (2A) is made to the Registrar, and the Registrar or the Government, as the case may be shall, within thirty days from the date of receipt of such representation, determine whether such membership should be given or not.] (3) Where a person is refused admission as a member in a society, the decision refusing admission together with the reasons thereof shall be communicated by the society to that person within a period of fifteen days from the date of the decision. Inserted by Act 1 of 2000 w.e.f 1-1-2000. Ibid. Inserted by Act 1 of 2000 w.e.f 1-1-2000. Added by 34 of 2021 (w.e.f.12-02-2021). Added by Act 9 of 2024 published in K.G.Ext. No.1829 dt. 07/06/2024 (w.e.f. 07/06/2024).