Compliance crackdown: CRCS initiates action against 33 MSCS

In a major compliance enforcement drive, the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) under the Union Ministry of Cooperation has initiated winding-up proceedings against 33 Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS), all of which are based in Maharashtra.

The action has been taken under the provisions of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002, following serious and repeated statutory non-compliance.

According to official notices issued from the CRCS headquarters at World Trade Center, Nauroji Nagar, New Delhi, the concerned societies failed to fulfil mandatory filing requirements prescribed under Section 120 of the MSCS Act, 2002.

This provision mandates every multi-state cooperative society to file its annual returns, financial statements and other statutory documents within six months of the close of the financial year through the designated CRCS portal.

Despite official communications, the societies reportedly did not respond or rectify the deficiencies. In view of continued non-compliance, inspections were ordered under Section 108 of the MSCS Act, 2002.

Inspection reports submitted by the Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Government of Maharashtra, indicated that several of these societies were either non-functional or not operating from their registered addresses within the state.

Based on these findings, the Central Registrar has initiated winding-up proceedings and issued show-cause notices to all 33 societies. They have been granted 15 days from the date of publication of the notice to submit their objections, failing which further liquidation proceedings may be undertaken in accordance with the law.

The affected entities include employee-based credit societies and multi-state urban cooperative credit societies operating across districts such as Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Beed, Solapur, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Dharashiv (Osmanabad), and Latur in Maharashtra.

This large-scale action signals a clear tightening of regulatory oversight in Maharashtra’s multi-state cooperative credit ecosystem. With enhanced digital monitoring through the CRCS portal and coordinated inspections at the state level, the Ministry of Cooperation appears determined to enforce compliance, improve governance standards, and safeguard the interests of members in the cooperative framework.

The list of societies against which winding-up proceedings have been initiated is as follows: