De-Registration Under Section 21A Cannot Be Used to Resolve Internal Management Disputes in Societies

sketch of the Bombay High Court
Case
CAPT. RAJEEV KUMAR AND ORS v. THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ORS (Bombay High Court, 28-09-2026)
Law
Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act.

Highlights of the Judgment:

  • Detailed analysis of the stringent scope and application threshold of Section 21A of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960.
  • Judicial interpretation of what constitutes actionable misrepresentation warranting society de-registration.
  • Examination of whether disgruntled individual members can seek society de-registration to resolve internal management grievances.
  • Distinction between appropriate statutory remedies for committee disputes versus extreme structural de-registration.
  • Enforcement of the legal principle prohibiting self-destructive actions that terminate the collective existence of a cooperative body.