Section 25 of the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 - Register of Members

Section 25 of the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 deals with the evidentiary value of a registered society's register or list of members or shares. It identifies the membership dates that such records may prove on a prima facie basis.

Section 25 - Register of members

Any register or list of members or shares kept by any registered society shall be prima facie evidence of the following particulars entered in it:

(a) the date on which a person's name was entered in the register or list as a member; and

(b) the date on which that person ceased to be a member.

Meaning and effect of Section 25

The provision gives statutory evidentiary value to the society's membership records for two specific matters: the date a person became recorded as a member and the date the person ceased to be a member. The expression prima facie evidence means evidence that is sufficient to establish the stated fact at first sight unless it is displaced or rebutted by other admissible evidence.

Accordingly, Section 25 does not state that the register is conclusive evidence for every dispute concerning membership. Its express scope is the evidentiary status of the dates recorded for entry into and cessation of membership.

Why the register of members is important

A properly maintained register can be relevant when a question turns on whether a person was recorded as a member on a particular date or when that membership ended. The provision therefore supports proof from the society's own formal membership records without making those records automatically conclusive in every factual or legal controversy.

Related provisions

Section 25 forms part of the provisions dealing with privileges of registered societies. It should be read with nearby provisions where relevant, particularly Section 24 on liability of the estates of deceased members and Section 26 on proof of entries in societies' books.

Current-law note: Co-operative societies may also be governed by applicable State co-operative societies legislation or, for qualifying multi-State societies, separate central legislation. The governing enactment should therefore be checked for the particular society and jurisdiction.

Official legal source

For the authoritative central enactment, refer to the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 on India Code.