The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday re-adopted the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which had earlier been passed on December 10, 2024, but was returned by Governor R.N. Ravi with objections. The re-adopted Bill will now be sent again to the Governor for assent, media reports say.
The Bill seeks to empower the Registrar of Cooperative Societies to immediately suspend the governing boards of cooperative societies involved in financial irregularities or malpractices and to appoint interim administrators.
The Governor had returned the Bill citing procedural lapses, lack of legal clarity, violation of principles of natural justice, concerns over cooperative autonomy, and overlap with earlier legislation.
However, Cooperation Minister K.R. Periyakaruppan defended the move, stating that immediate suspension is necessary as managing committees often destroy records during the interim period before dissolution orders.
The re-adoption follows a pattern of the Assembly re-passing Bills earlier returned by the Governor.