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."
