AND ANN-B N'()'i'iP'ICAT!{)N 012' R2, D'r.22.9.2o05 NOT
APPLICABLE TO THE PE'.'f'1'!']('}NER SOCIEIPY A:\u:f>g$ET
ASXDE THE DIi€E(3TiONS 0:? R2, i)T.3O.10.2006"AfS--VPER
ANN~D. ._
THIS PE'!'l'i'ION comma ON F0_1?:.., fP'RVEL:M.1NAR?:txh"~.,.
¥:1EARINGiN'B'GR(3UP,THI'S DAY,~~'§'.H4E CQUVRT'-.MADiE__§ TH_E '
FOLLOWING:
! 3'.:s:_n.E R 2 V
The petitioner-;_Dat1apm,:;§1d_ CA0-of)é:'r.-3.tAiv;;.:§ Ho11si11g
Society Ltd., Maflcswafa.;in,. .. bafom this Court
under Article pf thé'C?4:ii'§fitu§:ic§3.6f praying for the
{allowing zjzbkfsz = ' V
H 1 pctiticmcr-Society is not a
1§u.}31ic the provisions of the Right to
-,i:1for4'ii1a_fi0n 7Ac.I'::, 2605 (in short 'the Act), and the
V €}0vex:nn2c3g;1{ii(§ffificafion dated 22.9.2005 at A1mexu1t-
3 a respondent no.2-Registrar of Co~ope1'ati.vc
is not appiicablc to the pfititiexxcr-Society,
H 3,33
(ii) to issrue 3 wfii of ccriiorari for quashing the
dinactions issued by Respondent No.2 in tha icttsr
dated 30.10.2006 brsaring No.ADMN/MPH/97/ 2006—-
G’? at Alnzcxuxt-‘D.
2. The brief fads of the case leaciing £0 the the
Writ petition may be stated as under:
Ii is the case of the Society that in receiflii
Februaxy 1970, the society was “”‘1egisteret_1i.u
Karnataka C’-D~–{)p€I’dU.VC Societies ._
gevemed by bye–1aW$ appmved,Lb13rV_thei.£e§po1i§ie:1t..iie.£3.”:It is ” V
eofltended that the haseiot — .a;1}f..if1na13eia}
assistance fmm the . end therefore the
Seeiety cannot 23 i1i:.he scope of the
Act. But; the ;:o.2;’.Re§e{fer of Co-o;}erative
Sociefiee i”‘i’1:a.;,:iV:. _% isi§igie.*:3.:i:”»;V3:;’ n.:{*ufi¢aeon dated 22.9.2005
(A:mex1.i:ie¥’B1V all Cewopczrative Societies in
the State pubiie eiifiiéiiifies. The petitioner-Society has
v no£’:W4ieeei:sre;_l 1hei'”netifieation or intimation. When certain
‘nzember$i’se-m§fi1:_ for infommation, the other members of the
seeievty o,5;..is.+.ie d.:’wu1§’11g informatie-2n pertaining to them.
Thefefpie, {tie Society rejected their request to furnish the
i V’ fiifiinnaiion on both counts. when the appeal was prefened
— Chaintnan of the Society, he wrote a Ietter (a1mexure-
” to respondent no.2 poinfixig out the provisions of the Act.
The Respondent No-2 by his reply dated 39.10.2006
{Annexuxwe-D) intimated the Chaiiman of the Society mating
that under Section :2{h}(t3) of the Act all Co~opeI’at1’ve
Societies are public anthottities. The rc$p_<;u1€i¢;1:t __:'
fKan1ataka information Commission, on ' Qf xthfi
notification dated 22.9.2005, by :§'rdeb1'f daiég3
Annr:x'111'::~E'.«) :.iirc-ctcd £116 R¢g,i_st1'af'%3f'€?o-0p<§:*;~:t€ié?e«' s¢;::i'¢~z:¢sv,
to seek infoncxiaiion from tht: fltheVV$ame to
thus applicant. The béf”x¥i:;,
3. Thai has___ f’fi1c;d statcmtmt <31"
(}¥3jt:(:ti<):1.*:,lf@{;33;t:ii1.;;:i§:1%f:;:;;%.1 "o};:je.x':i:;;c§txsVV–zIEnymg the gnuncis urged
in the; pct:iti{)} 1.. that as per the pmvisions
sof tht: "$.r';:ict:ies Act, respondent 110.2/the
has.' $u.p¢_;j.firsion and controi over the society. It is
»A 1333;; that as pm: Section 12'?A the Co-opcrativc:
~.S{$cicfi&é;"_';%ci~:;e§'cry ofiiccr bearer, Member and cxnpioyce of
cfi3upc1§§fis*é institrutions is a 'public sexvant'. Further, as
np;¢:;* <:}z§1'r;§c (tr) of sub-section 12 of scction 2 and cxplaxmfion
'flflii-i*'¢'.3{Q in t.I:;1e- Kamataka Lokayukta Act, 1985, the amen
'V V. heamxx ofco-opcrative society are 'public servants' and there
is no iiixsgaiity or infirmity in the imjpugnm
notification / ccmmunication.
4. S23′ S.(}.8i1at, lcamcd counsel appearing fag’ the
pctfiioncr submits that the pctit;ioncr–So<::icty has
any financial assistanct fmm the State *
Furt;ht:r, the supcIvisoIy' cumin} _by __the f31e_: '
socittty over 111:: petii:i.o11cr'–Socict:y' '»r.:an;£10t:Vb£*g§ u
to hold the petiiionc1"/ s<)cictj, a '
the dtzfanzliion 9:" Section 2(h)(d) support
of his contcmzioxi, i§:.':31'.{1Vts.'."~;'C:l..V:':":'-{)'tl;'\_'V.};5t;'.V"§~ _th6'p_c"t1'ti<mcr has cited
the following decisions: 'V
A£_R 25?? (w"2:¢:sv?re1e Films Ltd. and
1: others) on the point
£113: Control for Cricket in India is
got.' or adzainistrativcly
file. Govt.
«AIR i933″‘Kera1a 75 (mm Bench) (P.Bhz-mkazan
.,J4gi:x1{3»”_:§>t1mrs V. Additional Secretary, Agricultural
{§:(;–o})c1’ation) Dczpaxtmcnt and others) cm the
point that the C.’o–opcIat;ive Socictic:-.5 are not
cmatcd by the Co-operative. Societies Act and
they am not statutcsry bedics. They are only
functioning in accordance with the provisions of
the Act. Thcsc institutions would have legal
existence, wen if the Co-opcrativt: Societies Act
was not in force. Moreover, the Govfirgfimcnt
have no shares in the Co-operative
There is no amp and
The management of ” .
the Government 01' Gavelnmcnt ._'I'hc" is ~fifl(§Cf L' the afitctiyc by the mcmbagi; L T114: statutery regulzvatioili 0--r- 'fixnctioning of the Siatt: under Article VI lie against a C30- : 1 .*.é§(;;¥cIncd by the Kerala Co»- " Vopcrfiifiéc S02-ggiétiés Act.
T56 < )'.f {he RTI Act is to secun': access to
" public authvzitias in order to yromotc
U1;-sgslzzéiaagiugbénd accotlntabfliiy in the working of cvcxy
;;§u£_)]1'cv_ so as to curtail (?0I"3f'11ptiOILl and to hold the
AG0vci'2m:1c11t anti thsir izlsuflimcntaiity are accountable.
' 6. £1 is uscfui to mfer to Clause (h) of Section (2) of the
' VV " Act, wI1i<:h reads as W1":
Section 2(h):”1;mbi1’c authoxity” means any or
body or institution of self-government
<:o:1st1't11t€d-
a) by or under the Q9QSfitfii3,¢i3′;
b) by any 0th.s:r law by thé
c) by any oth§§1=~..£aw
{I} by 11oS;:ifi<:a'{:'i<$1:' made by the
irficlizdcs any-
” or substantially
“”””
” (ii) organisation
2 fmanccd, directly or
A’ «______;’u:di1’ecfiy by funds provided by the
appmpriate Govcrnmcnt;
subwlause id) of Clause (11) of Stzcrtion 2 of
¥th:§..RT£ “Act, the: appmpriate government can include an
i3;1.§iit{:1i021 Within the seeps of pubiic axzthnrity, provided it is
cczntzmflcd or Substantialiy financcd, dimctly or
Jlmiixrscfiy {u11dt::;i by thc appmpriatc Government. in the
irzstant C-RS431′ p4:=t.ii;ioncr/ society is ncithar owned nor funded
120:’ cozxiroiicni by the State. It. is; not ‘$11.6 case of the State
Ԥ
k
8
that the notifi<rat1'<m dated 22.9.2095 (AJ3ncxurc~B) has been
issued zmcier Sccfiolz '2(h)(d) ef the RTI Act. on the
basis of S11p€I'UiSi{)I1 and control by {"116 Rcgist;fgJf $«'):{§i¢ti¢$;
and the definitioxx of 'pubiic Servant'
societies and in the Kaxnataka Lokayxikfa
camxoi. be tanned as 'Pubiic tgfi a 'A
society wifi1i11 the fiT1C i':.':'.fI1} Lit
shouid fulfill flu: C§)naii1i£):£1$_VV$£ip1:latc€"£ i:1..$11?;%.;§c:lausxe (<3) of
ciausc (11) of S(:Cfi0V1i"Z?V' ':.7}f 131:3'?-}1_c dccisions cited by
the lcamcd <t::3 11I1sc:1A"fm% }2;'I1£:"p£:,tii'i§}11tfff.vS§.)ciety fully support
the" J'};Z'ti: tifi:{3rI1¢?:1'.'.'..V'1;'§{'1V(£' pct;it.ione1'~socicty does not
{$16 1r:;3;i,I.{1.éIif.f:'T'<;g}i1siii,io§1s laid down in sub-clause (d) of
clausff crf é.::_<:rf_i.:;i:'<.:Z;2 of the Act. '{'}1n:mfo1'e, the petitioner
ss§:}cjz;i?3.* is ;::m§t"'a.fp.u.bfic authority' under the provisions of the
' Hence, the niimciions issucd by the Registrar
* so –.p§::=1Vii:ionsr/sucicty, by his communication dated
by the 1*4:.<.ap0z1dent no.2 at Annt:xurc- 'D' are not
V " * on the petifiolmrf sucittty.
8′ For the reasons statcd supra, the petition is allowed
holding that thc: p€tii:§011€:r*SO{?it3{}’ is not a public authority
tmdcr 111$ pmv;i$:i.-um; of the R’I’i Act, 2095. F’l,II’Th€1′”, the
dirwficms issucd by respondent 110.12 by cxymlzzuxzicatieai
dated 30. 102006 at Annexuxxs-D is quashed.
No costs.
Learned Govt. Plcadcr is granted
fie his meme ofappcazance for rcspofidetgiit No.2.’ I