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2025 Supreme(Online)(Kar) 38065

THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA
M.Nagaprasanna, J
Sanjay Shrikant Gundewadi – Appellant
Versus
State of Karnataka – Respondent
WP No. 108323 of 2025 (CS-RES)



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: Sanjana S. Mudhol
For the Respondents: Ramesh Chigari

The Registrar of Co-operative Societies, when considering an application for permission to collect share capital for a proposed society, is under a mandatory obligation to provide the applicant an opportunity of hearing to demonstrate the economic viability and potential success of the society, failing which the rejection is invalid.

Headnote:(A) Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act, 1959 - Section 7 - Pre-registration stage - Permission to collect share amount - Refusal on grounds of overlapping jurisdictions and economic viability - Whether petitioner to be heard - Court held that Registrar is under obligation to provide an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner to satisfy that the proposed society has reasonable chances of success and is economically viable - Rejection of application without hearing violates principles of natural justice. (Paras 3, 4)

(B) Principles of Natural Justice - Administrative action - Opportunity of hearing - Registrar while considering application for share collection must ensure principles of natural justice are followed - Failure to provide hearing renders order arbitrary and unsustainable. (Paras 3)

Facts of the case:
The petitioner, a chief promoter, applied for permission to collect share capital for the proposed cooperative society. The Assistant Registrar rejected the application citing economic viability and the potential for overlapping operations with existing societies, without providing an opportunity for the petitioner to present their case.

Findings of Court:
The Court observed that the Registrar is obligated to examine if a proposed society has reasonable chances of success and economic viability, but this must be done after granting the petitioner a fair opportunity of hearing. Rejecting the proposal without such an opportunity is a violation of natural justice.

Issues: Whether the rejection of a pre-registration share collection application without hearing the applicant is legally valid and in accordance with the principles of natural justice?

Ratio Decidendi: Since Rule 3(3) of the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Rules, 1961 requires the Registrar to be satisfied about the viability of the proposed society, the process inherently necessitates hearing the applicant to allow them to demonstrate such viability. Administrative orders rejecting such applications must be preceded by an opportunity of hearing.

Result: Petition allowed; impugned order quashed with directions to hear the petitioner.

Table of Content
1. the requirement to hold a hearing before rejecting pre-registration share collection applications. (Para 1 , 2 , 3 , 4)

THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE WRIT IN THE NATURE OF CERTIORARI TO QUASH THE IMPUGNED ORDER DATED 23.10.2025 IN NO. AR-11/RSR/44/2025-26 PASSED BY THE 2ND RESPONDENT VIDE ANNEXURE-E. TO ISSUE WRIT IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS DIRECTING THE RESPONDENT NO.2 TO GRANT PERMISSION TO FLOATING OF SHARE AMOUNT FOR PRE REGISTRATION OF THE SOCIETY IN THE NAME OF THE PROPOSED SHRI MAYAKKADEVI VIVIDODDESH PRATHMIK GRAMEEN KRUSHI SAHAKARI SANGH NIYAMIT, CHINCHALI (KODI) TQ. RAIBAG, DIST. BELAGAVI AT CHINCHALI (KODI) BY ALLOWING THIS WRIT PETITION IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE AND EQUITY AND ETC.,

THIS WRIT PETITION, COMING ON FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER:

ORAL ORDER

(PER: THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA)

1. The petitioner is before this Court calling in question an order dated 23.10.2025 by which permission for collection of share amount at the stage of pre-registration of Society is declined.

2. Heard Smt. Sanjana S. Mudhol, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner and Sri. Ramesh Chigari, learned AGA appearing for the respondents.

3. Both, the counsel for the petitioner and the learned AGA in unison would submit that the issue in the lis is covered by the order passed by this Court in Writ petition No.100512/2025 disposed on 27.01.2025, which reads as follows:

1. The petitioner is before this Court, calling in question an order 20.01.2024, by which permission for collection of share amount in the stage of pre-registration of Society, is declined.

2. The learned counsel, Miss Sanjana S. Mudhol appearing for the petitioner, submits that, in plethora of cases, the Coordinate Benches of this Court has passed several orders, which would enure to the benefit of the petitioner. The orders so passed, are as follows:

W.P.NO. 104197/2021

“The petitioner, which is a Co-operative Society, has presented this petition challenging the order by which the Assistant Registrar has permitted registration of the 5th and 6th respondents as a Co-operative Society under Section 7 of the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act, 1959 (for short, 'the KCS Act").

2 It is the specific case of the petitioner-society that the Chief Promoters of 5th and 6th respondents were all members of the petitioner-society and they had made an application and they had promoted the formation of the 5th and 6th respondents and sought for its registration. The averment in the writ petition in this regard is as follows:

"It is submitted that, the respondent Nos.5 and 6 who are the chief promoters of their respective proposed society and other promoters with them all are the members of the petitioner Society alone.

It is submitted that, the list of proposed members submitted by the respondent Nos.5 and 6 with the 4 respondent are almost all the members of the petitioner society. Besides being so all the proposed members even including the chief promoter and promoters aiso members as well as taken loan on different heads from the petitioner society being members of it. The majority of the members of the proposed societies are defaulters with the petitioner society."

3. It is thus clear that the petitioner-society is aggrieved by a faction of its members in deciding to form a new Co-operative Society and seek for its registration. At the outset before considering the contentions advanced by the petitioner on the merits or demerits of the registration made by the authorities, it would have to be essentially decided as to whether the petitioner-Society as locus standi the question there is a registration of another Co-operative Society.

4. The learned Senior Counsel Sri Gurudas Kannur contended that the petitioner-Society has a right to challenge the registration granted in favour of the 5th and 6th respondents since they would also be operating

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