Q.State the process of registration of a cooperative society, in brief.

Registration follows a set sequence: members come together, apply with by-laws, and the Registrar scrutinises and approves the application before the society gains any legal status. …

A cooperative society acquires legal existence only on registration under the applicable Cooperative Societies Act — the central Cooperative Societies Act, 1912 laid down the original framework, and, since cooperation is a State subject, actual registration today is carried out under the relevant State Act (in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies Act, 1983) by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

The process, in outline, runs as follows:

1. Minimum members: A minimum number of persons (commonly ten, though this can vary by type of society and state law) who are competent to contract come together and agree to form the society.

2. Application to the Registrar: An application, signed by all the applicant-members, is submitted to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies of the state.

3. By-laws: The application is accompanied by the society's proposed by-laws — its own internal rule-book, setting out its name, registered address, objects, membership qualifications, capital structure, and the rules for management, corresponding to what a memorandum and articles of association do for a company.

4. Scrutiny and registration: The Registrar examines the application and by-laws to confirm all legal requirements are met and the objects are lawful cooperative objects, and then registers the society and issues a Certificate of Registration. …

Omitting the by-laws (the society's own internal rule-book, filed with the Registrar) is a common gap — by-laws are as central to a cooperati …