BENGALURU: Members of cooperative societies or their representatives will be disentitled to voting rights at general body meetings and elections if they fail to utilise minimum services/facilities for three consecutive years.
This follows the high court upholding the constitutional validity of amended section 20(2) (a-v) of the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act pertaining to utilisation of services/facilities.
In Tadakal Woman Milk Producers Co-operative Society Vs State of Karnataka case, the court had already upheld the validity of amended section 20(2)( a-iv), which said a member or delegate has to attend a minimum of three meetings to sustain their voting rights.
Justice PS Dinesh Kumar dismissed petitions filed by hundreds of members of various co-operative societies challenging the amended section 20(2)(a-v). He, however, said the operation of both provisions would be effective for elections after the date of disposal of the petitions, post-August 4, 2021.
The amended act received the governor’s assent in 2013. Advocates for the petitioners said that the act was not enforced till 2018. Following writ petitions filed against section 20(2)(a-v), the court, vide interim orders, permitted the members to vote and participate in the elections.
