Section 99 in The Gujarat Co-Operative Societies Act, 1961
99. Procedure for settlement of disputes and power of Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees.
(1)The Registrar, or his nominee or board of nominees, hearing a dispute under Section 98 shall hear the dispute in the manner prescribed, and shall have power to summon and enforce attendance of witnesses including the parties interested or any of them and to compel them to give evidence, and to compel the production of a documents by the same means and as far as possible in the same manner as provided in the case of a Civil Court by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (V of 1908).(2)Except where a dispute involves complicated question of law or fact, no legal practitioner in his capacity as a legal practitioner or as person holding a power of attorney shall be permitted to appear on behalf of any party at the hearing of a dispute.(3)(a)If the Registrar or his nominee or board of nominees is satisfied that a person, whether he be a member of the society or not, has acquired any interest in the property of a person who is a party to a dispute, he may order that the person who has acquired the interest in the property may join as a party to the dispute; and any decision that may be passed on the reference by the Registrar or his nominee or board of nominees shall be binding on the party so joined, in the same manner as if he were on original party to the dispute.(b)Where a dispute has been instituted, in the name of the wrong person or where all the defendants have been not included, the Registrar or his nominee or board of nominees may, at any stage of the hearing of the dispute if satisfied that the mistake was bona fide, order any other person to be substituted or added as a plaintiff or a defendant, upon such terms as he thinks just.(c)The Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees may, at any stage of the proceedings, either upon or without the application of either party, and on such terms as may appear to the Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees, as the case may be, to be just, order that the name of any party improperly joined whether as plaintiff or defendant be struck out, and that the name of any person who ought to have been joined whether as plaintiff or defendant or whose presence before the Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees as the case may be, may be necessary in order to enable the Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees effectually and completely to adjudicate upon and settle all the questions involved in the dispute, be added.(d)Any person who is a party to the dispute and entitled to more than one relief in respect of the same cause of action may claim all or any of such reliefs; but if he omits to claim all such reliefs, he shall not forward claim for any relief so omitted, except with the leave of the Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees.(4)[ Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-sections (1), (2) and (3), the following disputes or class of disputes, if the plaintiff so desires, shall be decided summarily by the Registrar, or his nominee or board of nominees, in such manner as may be prescribed, namely :-(a)any dispute for recovery of debt upon promissory note, hundi, bill of exchange or bond, with or without interest, whether agreed upon under such instrument or under the bye-laws;(b)any dispute for recovery of a fixed sum of money or in the nature of debt, with or without interest, arising on a written contract;(c)any dispute for recovery of price of goods sold and delivered, where the rate, quality and quantity are admitted in writing;(d)any dispute for recovery of dues payable by a member of a housing society towards contribution for construction of the house, or any dispute in respect of repayment of any loan, interest or loan, ground rent, local authority taxes, sinking fund, water charges, electrical charges, maintenance and upkeep charges or charges for other services rendered by the society and the interest on such arrears, payable under the written agreement or under the bye-laws.(5)(a)The defendant shall not be entitled to defend the dispute unless he obtains leave from the Registrar, his nominee or, as the case may be, the board of nominees, in such manner as may be prescribed.(b)The Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees may grant the leave under clause (a) on such conditions, as he thinks fit.(c)The Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees shall not refuse the leave to defend the dispute unless he is satisfied that the facts disclosed by the defendant do not indicate that he has substantial defence to raise or that the defence intended to be put up by him is frivolous or vexatious.(d)Where the defendant fails to obtain such leave or fails to appear or defend the dispute in pursuance of such leave, the averments made in the plaint and documents produced therewith shall be deemed to have been admitted by' the defendant :Provided that the Registrar, his nominee or board of nominees in his discretion requires any fact so admitted to be proved otherwise than by such admission.(e)Where the conditions on which leave to defend is granted are not complied with by the defendant, the Registrar, his nominee or, as the case may be, board of nominees may pass an award against him, as if he has not been granted such leave.(6)The Registrar, his nominees or, as the case may be, board of nominees shall under special circumstances set aside the award passed by him and if necessary stay or set aside execution, and may grant leave to the defendant to appear and defend the disputes, if it seems reasonable so to do, and on such terms as he thinks fit.] [Inserted for sub-sections (4) to (6) by Gujarat Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act, 1997 (Act 4 of 1997) Section 3]
