Authority: Madras High Court, Madurai Bench

Order Date: 09 July 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioner: Thanjavur District State Government Employees Consumer Cooperative Store, represented by its President (Mr. R. Subramanian as counsel, Ms. K.R. Shivashankari as State counsel).
  • Respondents:

1. Registrar of Cooperative Societies, N.V. Natarajan Maaligai, No. 170, Periyar Evr High Road, Kilpauk, Chennai‑600 010.

2. Joint Registrar of Co‑Operative Societies, Medical College Road, Thanjavur.

3. Ekambaram, Joint Registrar of Co‑Operative Societies, Medical College Road, Thanjavur.

4. Deputy Registrar of Co‑Operative Societies, Medical College Road, Thanjavur.

5. Thayalavinayagan Amalraj, Deputy Registrar of Co‑Operative Societies, Medical College Road, Thanjavur.

6. Nickelson, Enquiry Officer, Cooperative Sub Registrar/Managing Director, Cooperative Urban Bank, Thanjavur.

  • Petition Numbers: W.P(MD)No.20718 of 2018 and WMP (MD) Nos.18475, 18476, 20578 of 2018, 22590 of 2019.
  • Background: During the petitioner’s tenure as President, the Deputy Registrar directed the petitioner to reimburse Rs.2,22,045/‑ alleging the amount was spent by the Society on wages to daily‑rated employees. Concurrently, an enquiry under Section 81 of the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies Act, 1983 was initiated (impugned orders: Na.Ka.No. 5595/2017/Nukoo(2) dated 08‑09‑2018 and 2209/2018/Nukoo dated 12‑09‑2018).
  • Allegations: The petitioner contended that the reimbursement demand and the Section 81 enquiry were improper; the petitioner’s elected term had expired, and the proceedings remained pending.

Final Outcome

  • The Court directed the competent authority to complete the Section 81 enquiry, affording sufficient opportunity to all concerned parties, and to pass appropriate orders on merits within a timeframe to be fixed by the Court.
  • Liberty was reserved to all affected persons, including the petitioner and the employees, to pursue their remedies in accordance with law if aggrieved by the enquiry’s outcome.
  • The writ petition was disposed of without costs, and all connected miscellaneous petitions were closed.

Topics: Court Order, Cooperative Law, Enforcement