AGM checklist for housing societies in Maharashtra

The annual general body meeting (AGM) is the one meeting every co-operative housing society in Maharashtra must hold, every year, without exception. Members receive the accounts, hear the auditor, approve the budget and appoint next year’s auditor. Get the procedure wrong and decisions can be challenged.

The AGM deadline: on or before 30 September

Section 75(1) of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act requires the AGM within six months of the year’s close, which for housing societies means on or before 30 September. The 2014 model bye-laws repeat this in BL 93(a) and note that there is no provision to extend the time.

If the committee does not call the AGM, the defaulting committee members face disqualification under s.75(5) (BL 93(b)).

Plan backwards from 30 September. The notice must go out by mid-September at the latest, and the audit must be finished before that.

AGM notice: 14 clear days

BL 98 requires 14 clear days’ notice of the AGM to every member, with intimation to the Housing Federation and the Registrar. “Clear days” exclude both the day the notice is served and the day of the meeting.

How to serve it:

Under BL 161, by hand, by post or by email, with a copy on the notice board.
The draft 2026 bye-laws also accept a digital platform approved by the committee (dBL 2(b)). This is draft text; follow your registered bye-laws until the new ones are adopted.

The notice should state the date, time, place and agenda, and the joining link if members may attend online. Keep proof of service for every member.

Audited accounts must come before the notice

Section 81(1)(a) of the Act requires the audit to be completed within six months of the year’s close “and in any case before issuance of notice” of the AGM. BL 150(b) makes the committee responsible for this. In practice, the auditor’s report must be in hand before the AGM notice is sent.

The draft 2026 bye-laws tighten this to 31 July, with the audited statements displayed 14 days before the AGM (dBL 141(4)–(5)). That is a good target even now.

What the AGM must transact: the agenda

BL 94 lists the AGM’s mandatory business. Build the agenda from it:

Read the minutes of the last AGM and any special general meeting, with the action taken.
Receive the committee’s annual report and the Form N accounts.
Consider the statutory audit report.
Receive the audit rectification report (Form O) and the action taken.
Place the budget for the next financial year.
Appoint the statutory auditor from the Government-approved panel and fix the fee.
Receive the annual return.
Matters that need general-body sanction under the Act, Rules or bye-laws.
Important letters from the Registrar, auditor, Government or local authority.
Declare the election date, if the committee’s term is ending.
Other business with the Chair’s permission, except items that need notice.

The draft 2026 list (dBL 95(c)) adds a plan for disposal of surplus, details of loans to members and bye-law amendments.

Appointing the auditor

The AGM appoints the auditor from the panel and fixes the fee (s.81(1)(a); BL 150(a), (c)). The same auditor cannot be appointed for more than two consecutive years. Within one month of the AGM, the auditor’s name and written consent go to the Registrar as the s.79(1B) return on MahaSahakar.

Quorum for the general body meeting

The quorum is two-thirds of the total members or 20 members, whichever is less (BL 99; Rule 106C-13(3)(e)). A society of 24 members needs 16 present; a society of 120 needs 20.

If there is no quorum within half an hour (BL 100; Rule 106C-13(3)(f)):

An AGM is adjourned, either to a later hour the same day or to a date 7 to 30 days later, as stated in the notice. The adjourned meeting transacts the original agenda whether or not there is a quorum.
A meeting called on members’ requisition is dissolved instead.

Attending the AGM by video conference

Since the MCS (Amendment) Rules 2026 were published on 22 June 2026, Rule 106C-13(3)(b) allows members to take part in a general body meeting in person or through video conferencing or other audio-visual means. The society must provide the facility, and it must be able to:

record the meeting;
identify the members taking part;
store the proceedings with the date and time.

Decisions are taken by majority, counting members attending online (Rule 106C-13(3)(g)). Keep the recording with the minutes as evidence.

Minutes after the AGM

For societies on the 2014 bye-laws, BL 107 sets a clock:

The committee finalises the draft minutes within 3 months of the meeting.
It circulates them to all members within 15 days of that committee meeting.
Members send observations within 15 days of circulation.
The committee then finalises the minutes and records them in the minutes book.

The draft 2026 bye-laws do not repeat this clock; check the final text once notified.

Then file the annual returns under s.79(1A) on the MahaSahakar portal by 30 September.

Practical AGM checklist

Accounts finalised within 45 days of 31 March (BL 145(a)).
Statutory audit completed and report received before the notice.
Rectification report (Form O) ready for the audit objections.
Budget, annual report and agenda approved at a committee meeting.
Notice served 14 clear days ahead, with proof, and a copy on the notice board.
Video-conference link tested, if used, and recording set up.
Attendance register (physical and online) and quorum checked at the start time.
Auditor appointed from the panel; s.79(1B) return within a month.
Minutes drafted, circulated and finalised; returns uploaded.

What the law says

MCS Act s.75(1), (5): AGM within six months of the year’s close; disqualification for default.
s.81(1)(a), (c): audit completed before the AGM notice; committee responsible.
s.79(1A), (1B): annual returns; auditor return within one month of the AGM.
BL 93–100, 107, 150 (2014): date, agenda, notice, quorum, adjournment, minutes, auditor.
Rule 106C-13(3)(b), (e)–(g): video participation, quorum and voting, binding on every housing society from 22 June 2026.
dBL 95, 141 (draft 2026): expanded agenda, 31 July audit target and 14-day display. These are draft only.

Your society’s registered bye-laws govern where they differ from the model text.

More questions on meetings are answered on the general meetings and AGM FAQ page.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Your society's registered bye-laws may differ; for a dispute or a decision with legal or financial consequences, consult the Registrar's office, an advocate or a chartered accountant.