The Cooperative Ombudsman has directed the Central Government Employees Consumer Cooperative Society Ltd. (Kendriya Bhandar) to provide its member, Rakesh Gupta, with certified copies of the Balance Sheets for 2021–22 and 2022–23, along with details of miscellaneous expenses, within 30 days.
The directive came after Gupta filed an appeal under Section 106(4) of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002, following the society’s refusal to share the requested information. Kendriya Bhandar had earlier denied the documents, citing that its bye-laws did not mandate such disclosure and alleging that Gupta was acting with “mala fide intentions.”
Rejecting the society’s arguments, Ombudsman Alok Agarwal observed that no clause in the bye-laws prohibits providing such information to members.
He further stated that the General Body’s decision to ignore the appellant’s correspondence was “untenable,” as it must operate within the provisions of the MSCS Act and its bye-laws.
The Ombudsman concluded that Kendriya Bhandar should have furnished the requested records within 30 days of the initial application and ordered the society to comply with the directive and submit a compliance report thereafter.
