Section 16 of the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 - Copy of Act, Rules and By-laws Open to Inspection

Section 16 forms part of the duties imposed on registered societies under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912. It requires specified governing documents to remain available for inspection, without charge, at the registered address of the society during reasonable times.

Text of Section 16

Meaning and Scope of Section 16

The provision creates a continuing transparency obligation for a registered society. The society must keep three categories of governing material available: a copy of the Act, the rules governing the society, and the society's own by-laws. These documents must be available at the society's registered address and inspection cannot be made conditional on payment of an inspection fee under this section.

What is a registered society?

For the purposes of the 1912 Act, the expression refers to a society registered or deemed to be registered under the Act. Section 16 therefore addresses the statutory duty of such a registered society rather than creating a general inspection rule for every association or organisation.

What are rules and by-laws?

The "rules" are the rules applicable under the governing co-operative societies law. "By-laws" are the registered internal governing provisions of the particular society. Section 16 requires the relevant copies to be kept available so that the governing framework of the society can be inspected at its registered address.

What does "all reasonable times" mean?

The Act does not prescribe a specific number of daily inspection hours in Section 16 itself. The requirement is therefore expressed in practical terms: inspection must be available at reasonable times at the registered address, subject to the applicable law, rules and administrative framework governing the society.

Practical Requirements Under Section 16

A society to which Section 16 applies should keep an accessible and current copy of the governing Act, applicable rules and its registered by-laws at its registered address. The statutory text expressly requires inspection to be free of charge. The section concerns inspection; any separate request for certified copies, extracts or other records may be governed by other applicable provisions.

Official Legal Source

The current central text of the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 can be checked on the official India Code portal. The official text lists Section 16 under the heading "Duties of Registered Societies", between Section 15 (Address of societies) and Section 17 (Audit).

Official India Code - Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 (PDF)