2025 INSC 436 REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION (@ SLP (CIVIL) NO. 4090 of 2024)

SHRI. MASAIDEVI VIVIDH KARYAKARI SAHAKARI SEVA SANSTHA MARYADIT WAREWADI …APPELLANT(S)

VERSUS THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA & ORS. …RESPONDENT(S)

WITH CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6551/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6086/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) 6262/2024 CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 Signature Not Verified RAVI ARORA Date: 2025.04.03

14:05:18 IST Reason:

(@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6619/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6535/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6308/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 4808/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6324/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6499/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6493/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6065/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 4926/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 10030/2024)

(@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5423/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5008/2024)

(@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5862/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 9579/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6264/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6168/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6475/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5430/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6360/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5298/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 4929/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5062/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6274/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6621/2024)

(@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5598/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5341/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5385/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5345/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5315/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 7714/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 7722/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 10031/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6222/2024)

CIVIL APPEAL NO. ____________OF 2025 (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5564/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5027/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5312/2024)

(@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 6275/2024) (@ SLP (CIVIL) No. 5314/2024)

J U D G M E N T PRASANNA B. VARALE, J:-

1. Leave granted.

2. The challenge in the present appeals is to the common order dated 05.01.2024 in Writ Petition No. 8654/2023 and 42 other connected matters, whereby the High Court of Judicature at Bombay allowed the petitions preferred by the respondent no. 6 herein and in other connected matters and set aside the orders passed by the State of Maharashtra directing registration of the appellant-societies.

3. For the sake of brevity and as the legal issue involved is the same, we are referring to the facts of the W.P. No. 8654 of 2023 resulting into SLP (C) No. 4090 of 2024. The factual background is that on 13.01.2023, the appellant-society herein filed an application to the Respondent-Assistant Registrar for getting permission for registration of proposed society as a new Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Society (hereinafter ‘PACCS’), as well as for opening a bank account. A scrutiny was done by the Scrutiny Committee (hereinafter ‘Committee’) wherein the application filed by the appellant-society was rejected on 13.04.2023. The reasons given by the Committee for rejection of application are reproduced below:

“1. The District Deputy Registrar and Divisional Joint Registrar, Kolhapur have not verified and ascertained as to whether the Revenue village of the aforesaid proposed society is within the purview of the existing society.

2. The information as to whether the Promoters – members of the proposed society are the members of other existing societies or not, has not be