The Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS), acting as the Appellate Authority under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, has dismissed the appeal filed by Lotus Agricultural and Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd., New Delhi, against a Co-operative Ombudsman’s order directing it to refund a depositor’s matured investment.
The Society had challenged the Ombudsman’s September 16, 2025 order, which required it to repay complainant Shrawan Ram along with applicable interest. It argued that repayment should await the outcome of litigation pending before the Supreme Court and claimed it could not file the appeal on time due to a shortage of staff.
The Appellate Authority rejected the explanation, noting that the appeal was filed more than seven months beyond the prescribed one-month limit. It observed that the Society has around 40,000 members, assets worth Rs 92 crore, and had reported Rs 34.63 lakh as employee benefit expenses in 2024-25, making its manpower claim untenable.
Finding no sufficient reason to condone the delay, the CRCS dismissed the appeal as time-barred, leaving the Ombudsman’s order intact and directing the Society to comply with the refund order.
