(1) If the Committee or the Board, as the case may be, of Co-operative Society is reconstituted at a general meeting of the Society or the Committee or the Board of a Co-operative Society is removed by the Registrar under section 30 or if the Society is ordered to be wound up under section 74 and the outgoing member, of the Committee or the Board refuse to hand over charge of the records and property of the Society to the new Committee or Board or to the Administrators or the liquidators, as the case may be, the new Committee or Board or the Administrators or the liquidators may apply to the Executive Magistrate, within whose jurisdiction the Society functions, for securing the records and property of the Society.
(2) If the custodian of records and the property, movable and immovable, of the Society refuses to hand over the records or property of the Society to the newly constituted Committee, Administrators or liquidators or refuses to produce such records or property before an officer or official of the Cooperataive Department conducting enquiry, audit, inspections under the provisions of this Act, such Committee, Board, Administrators, liquidators, officers or officials, as the case may be, may apply to the Executive Magistrate within whose jurisdiction the Society falls for securing the possession of records and property of the Society.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, Accountant, paid Secretary and Storekeeper, Cashier and salesman shall be deemed to be the custodian of records, stocks and property respectively.
(3) The officer or official conducting enquiry, inspection or audit shall not remove the records from the headquarter of the Society. However, the authorities deciding disputes, appeals, revision or review can call for such records and these records shall be produced before such authorities on a written requisition made by them.
(4) On receipt of an application under sub-section (1), the Executive Magistrate may by a warrant authorise any Police Officer, not below the rank of Inspector to enter and search any place where the records and the property are kept or are believed to be kept and to seize such records and property and the records and property so seized shall be handed over to the newly constituted Committee, Board or Administrators of the Society or the liquidator, officer or officials, as the case may be.
(5) Where the Registrar or any other officer of the Department not below the rank of the Deputy Registrar is satisfied that the books and records of the society are likely to be suppressed or destroyed, or the funds and property of the society are misappropriated, or misapplied or likely to be misappropriated or misapplied, the Registrar or any other person not below the rank of Deputy Registrar may apply to Executive Magistrate 1st Class within whose jurisdiction the Society is functioning for seizing and taking possession of records and property of the Society.
(6) On the receipt of an application under sub-section (5), the Executive Magistrate 1st Class may authorise any police officer, not below the rank of Inspector to enter and search any place where the records and property are kept or likely to be kept, and to seize them and hand over the possession thereof to the Registrar or any other person empowered under sub-section (5), as the case may be.