{
  "schema_version": "qanun-law-text/1",
  "id": "punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e",
  "title": "MULTI-UNIT CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1942",
  "source_collection": "Punjab",
  "content_kind": "stored_law_text",
  "content_extent": null,
  "source_url": "https://punjabcode.punjab.gov.pk/en/show_article/BjAFMQQwBj8-",
  "version": null,
  "source_snapshot": "2026-08-06T16:41:20Z",
  "legal_status": "not independently verified",
  "text_quality": "Complete stored UTF-8 TXT file recovered byte-for-byte from owned Drive. Source transcription retained verbatim; legal completeness, OCR accuracy and current consolidation unverified.",
  "text_sha256": "4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22",
  "source_sha256": "4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22",
  "text_version_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22",
  "quality_flags": [],
  "encoding": "UTF-8",
  "text": "THE MULTI-UNIT CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1942 \r\n(VI of 1942) \r\nCONTENTS \r\n1. Short title, extent and application. \r\n2. Co-operative societies to which this Act applies registered before \r\ncommencement of this Act. \r\n3. Co-operative societies to which this Act applies registere d after \r\ncommencement of this Act. \r\n3A. Co-operative Societies to which this Act applies registered in the \r\nFederal Capital. \r\n4. Appointment and powers of Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies. \r\n5. Penalty for failure to furnish information required under this Act. \r\n6. Power of Central Government to make rules. \r\n \r\nTEXT \r\n1\r\nTHE MULTI-UNIT CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES ACT, 1942 \r\n(VI of 1942) \r\n[7th March, 1942] \r\nAn \r\nAct \r\nto provide for the incorporation, regulation and winding up of co-operative societies \r\nwith objects not confined to one province. \r\n WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for the incorporation, regulation and \r\nwinding up of co-operative societies with objects not confined to one province; \r\n It is hereby enacted as follows:– \r\n1. Short title, extent and application.– (1) This Act may be called the Multi-unit \r\nCo-operative Societies Act, 1942. \r\n \r\n2\r\n[(2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan.] \r\n (3) It applies to all co -operative societies with objects not confined to one \r\nprovince incorporated before the commencement of this Act under t he Co-operative \r\nSocieties Act, 1912, or under any Act relating to co-operative societies in force in any \r\nprovince, and to all co -operative societies with objects not confined to one province \r\nto be incorporated after the commencement of this Act. \r\n2. Co-operative socie ties to which this Act applies registered before \r\ncommencement of this Act .– (1) A co -operative society to which this Act applies \r\nwhich has been registered in any province under the law relating to co -operative \r\nsocieties in force in that province shall be deemed in any other province to which its \r\nobjects extend to be duly registered in that other province under the law there in \r\nforce relating to co -operative societies, but shall, save as provided in sub -sections \r\n(2) and (3), be subject for all the  purposes of registration, control and dissolution to \r\nthe law relating to co-operative societies in force for the time being in the province in \r\nwhich it is actually registered. \r\n (2) Where any such co -operative society has established before the \r\ncommencement of this A ct or establishes after the commencement of this Act a \r\nbranch or place of business in a province other than that in which it is actually \r\nregistered, it shall, within six months from the commencement of this Act or the date \r\nof establishment of the  branch or place of business, as the case may be, furnish to \r\nthe Registrar of Co-operative Societies of the province in which such branch or place \r\nof business is situated a copy of its registered bye -laws, and shall at any time it is \r\nrequired to do so by t he said Re gistrar submit any returns and supply any \r\ninformation which the said Registrar might require to be submitted or supplied to him \r\nby a co-operative society actually registered in that province. \r\n \r\n1For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Ga zette of India, 19 42, Part V, p. 17.  This Act received the assent of Governor \r\nGeneral on March 2, 1942, published in the Gazette of India, Part IV, dated March 7, 1942, pp. 7-8. \r\n2Substituted by the Central Laws (Statute Reform) Ordinance, 1960 (XXI of 1960 ), published in th e Gazette of Pakistan \r\n(Extraordinary), dated June 9, 1960 (w.e.f. October 14, 1955), pp. 725-845, s. 3 read with Second Schedule. \r\n (3) The Registrar of Co -operative Societies of the province in which a \r\nbranch or place of business such as is referred to in sub -section (2) is situated may \r\nexercise in respect of that branch or place of business any powers of audit and of \r\ninspection which he might exercise in respect of a co -operative societ y actuall y \r\nregistered in the province. \r\n3. Co-operative societies to which this Act applies registered after \r\ncommencement of this Act.– (1) A society which might, if its objects were confined \r\nto one province, be registered as a co -operative society in any province under the \r\nlaw relating to co -operative societies in force in that province, shall, notwithstanding \r\nthat its objects are not confined to the province in which its principal place of \r\nbusiness is to be situated, be deemed for the purposes of registrat ion as a co-\r\noperative society to be situated wholly in that province, and may be registered by the \r\nRegistrar of Co -operative Societies of that province in accordance with the law \r\nrelating to co-operative societies for the time being in force in that province, and if so \r\nregistered shall be deemed in any other province to which its objects extend to be \r\nduly registered in that other province under the law there in force relating to co -\r\noperative societies but shall, save as provided in sub -sections (2) and (3), be subject \r\nfor all the purposes of registration, control and dissolution to the law relating to co -\r\noperative societies in force for the time being in the province in which it is actually \r\nregistered. \r\n (2) Where any such co -operative society establishes a br anch or place of \r\nbusiness in a province other than that in which it is actually registered, it shall within \r\nsix months from the date of establishment of the branch or place of business furnish \r\nto the Registrar of Co -operative Societies of the province in which such branch or \r\nplace of business is situated a copy of its registered bye-laws, and shall at any time it \r\nis required to do so by the said Registrar submit any returns and supply any \r\ninformation which the said Registrar might require to be submitted or  supplied to him \r\nby a co-operative society actually registered in that province. \r\n (3) The Registrar of Co -operative Societies of the province in which a \r\nbranch or place of business such as is referred to in sub -section (2) is situated may \r\nexercise in respec t of th at branch or place of business any powers of audit and of \r\ninspection which he might exercise in respect of a co -operative society actually \r\nregistered in that province. \r\n1\r\n[3A. Co-operative Societies to which this Act applies registered in the \r\nFederal Capital.– (1) A society which might, if its objects were confined to the \r\nFederal Capital, be registered as a co -operative society in the Federal Capital under \r\nthe law relating to co -operative societies in force therein, shall, notwithstanding that \r\nits obje cts are  not confined to the Federal Capital, be deemed for the purpose of \r\nregistration as a co -operative society to be situated wholly in the Federal Capital, \r\nand may be registered, in accordance with the law relating to co -operative societies \r\nfor the time  being in force in the Federal Capital , by the Registrar of Co -operative \r\nSocieties of the Federal Capital appointed by the Federal Government, and if so \r\nregistered shall be deemed in any Province to which its objects extend to be duly \r\nregistered in that Pr ovince under the law there in force relating to co -operative \r\nsocieties but shall, save as provided in sub-sections (2) and (3), be subject for all the \r\npurposes of registration, control and dissolution to the law relating to co -operative \r\n \r\n1Inserted by the Multi -Unit Co -Operative Societies (Amendment)  Ordinance, 1979 (V of 1979), published in the  Gazette of \r\nPakistan (Extraordinary), dated January 24, 1979, pp. 23-24, s. 2. \r\nsocieties in force for the time being in the Federal Capital, reference in that law to \r\n“Registrar” being construed as a reference to the said Registrar of Co -operative \r\nSocieties appointed by the Federal Government.  \r\n (2) Where any such co -operative society establishes a branc h or p lace of \r\nbusiness in any Province, it shall within six months from the date of establishment of \r\nthe branch or place of business furnish to the Registrar of Co -operative Societies of \r\nthe Province in which such branch or place of business is situated a copy o f its \r\nregistered bye-laws, and shall at any time it is required to do so by the said Registrar \r\nsubmit any returns and supply any information which the said Registrar might require \r\nto be submitted or supplied to him by a co -operative society actually registered in \r\nthat Province.  \r\n (3) The Registrar of Co -operative Societies of the Province in which a \r\nbranch or place of business such as is referred to in sub -section (2) is situated may \r\nexercise in respect of that branch or place of business any powers of  audit and of \r\ninspection which he might exercise in respect of a co -operative society actually \r\nregistered in that Province.] \r\n4. Appointment and powers of Central Registrar of Co -operative \r\nSocieties.– (1) The \r\n1\r\n[Federal] Government may, if it thinks fit, app oint a \r\n2\r\n[Federal] \r\nRegistrar of Co-operative Societies. \r\n (2) The \r\n3\r\n[Federal] Registrar of Co -operative Societies, if appointed, shall \r\nexercise in respect of any co -operative society to which this Act applies, to the \r\nexclusion of Provincial Registrars, the po wers and functions exercisable by the \r\nRegistrar of Co -operative Societies of the province in which such society is actually \r\nregistered. \r\n5. Penalty for failure to furnish information required under this Act .– If any \r\nco-operative society fails to furnish the  information which it is required to furnish by \r\nor under sub-section (2) of section 2 or sub -section (2) of section 3, or to submit any \r\nreturn required to be submitted under either of those sub -sections, the society, and \r\nany officer or member of the society responsible for the failure, shall each be liable to \r\nfine which may extend to fifty rupees, and the registration of the society may, at the \r\ndiscretion of the Registrar of Co -operative Societies of the province in which the \r\nsociety is actually registered, be cancelled. \r\n6. Power of Central Government to make rules .– The \r\n4\r\n[Federal] Government \r\nmay, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying into effect the \r\nprovisions of this Act. \r\n \r\n1Substituted for the word “Central” by the Punjab Laws (Adaptation) Order, 1974 (Pb. O. No.1 of 1974), published in the Punjab \r\nGazette (Extraordinary), dated November 20, 1974, pp. 1425-A-1425-OO, Article 2 read with Schedule. \r\n2Substituted for the word “Central” by the Punjab Laws (Adaptation) Order, 1974 (Pb. O. No.  1 of 1974), published in the \r\nPunjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated November 20, 1974, pp.1425-A-1425-OO, Article 2 read with Schedule. \r\n3Ibid. \r\n4Ibid.",
  "passage_offset_convention": "zero-based Unicode code points and UTF8 bytes; end exclusive",
  "passages": [
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-0-1776:a54fc3b120514b08b0b5c20237bc51d17f04e832f46177599e032d02c663d73c",
      "character_start": 0,
      "character_end": 1776,
      "utf8_byte_start": 0,
      "utf8_byte_end": 1782,
      "passage_sha256": "a54fc3b120514b08b0b5c20237bc51d17f04e832f46177599e032d02c663d73c",
      "reader_fragment": "p-0-1776-a54fc3b120514b08"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-1776-3518:280747b5302805010be0b89298155c2014c190fd6931e62911f2795245e630f9",
      "character_start": 1776,
      "character_end": 3518,
      "utf8_byte_start": 1782,
      "utf8_byte_end": 3524,
      "passage_sha256": "280747b5302805010be0b89298155c2014c190fd6931e62911f2795245e630f9",
      "reader_fragment": "p-1776-3518-280747b530280501"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-3518-5293:22e9ebf99833c49d7283044a5648ea5957239842971a7931c3ae77325394a687",
      "character_start": 3518,
      "character_end": 5293,
      "utf8_byte_start": 3524,
      "utf8_byte_end": 5301,
      "passage_sha256": "22e9ebf99833c49d7283044a5648ea5957239842971a7931c3ae77325394a687",
      "reader_fragment": "p-3518-5293-22e9ebf99833c49d"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-5293-7026:9a2b323702b7e9874adb032f8e226274679c65e69ea4e6ed3210e30f3e9b93ee",
      "character_start": 5293,
      "character_end": 7026,
      "utf8_byte_start": 5301,
      "utf8_byte_end": 7036,
      "passage_sha256": "9a2b323702b7e9874adb032f8e226274679c65e69ea4e6ed3210e30f3e9b93ee",
      "reader_fragment": "p-5293-7026-9a2b323702b7e987"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-7026-8788:cbcce5ce1ef3e4dfea92c5e9aae3d0c3dec3483eadf16054b1019efd79755da0",
      "character_start": 7026,
      "character_end": 8788,
      "utf8_byte_start": 7036,
      "utf8_byte_end": 8802,
      "passage_sha256": "cbcce5ce1ef3e4dfea92c5e9aae3d0c3dec3483eadf16054b1019efd79755da0",
      "reader_fragment": "p-7026-8788-cbcce5ce1ef3e4df"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-8788-10565:b890a6851d36238d44d71abb777927c87f4244d2af6580e913f52d08dbb6d6ce",
      "character_start": 8788,
      "character_end": 10565,
      "utf8_byte_start": 8802,
      "utf8_byte_end": 10593,
      "passage_sha256": "b890a6851d36238d44d71abb777927c87f4244d2af6580e913f52d08dbb6d6ce",
      "reader_fragment": "p-8788-10565-b890a6851d36238d"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-8fdb79b79203e27e:sha256:4eb3990e911bf33535ca4cb497ccf878574aed242c19c32b0718182e36bd4c22:chars-10565-10688:41d1cb93d9fee18c4d698478ad339aa8ad705e6ebf21b94f4e822ea740ba73dd",
      "character_start": 10565,
      "character_end": 10688,
      "utf8_byte_start": 10593,
      "utf8_byte_end": 10716,
      "passage_sha256": "41d1cb93d9fee18c4d698478ad339aa8ad705e6ebf21b94f4e822ea740ba73dd",
      "reader_fragment": "p-10565-10688-41d1cb93d9fee18c"
    }
  ]
}