Membership

4A.  Members may be classified in accordance with duration or tenure of membership, voting rights, nature of entity etc.

4B.  The admission to the membership of the Society shall be the discretion of the Board of Governors

4C.  The Board of Governors may create new classes of membership or rename existing ones from time to time, subject to the approval of the General Body

4D.  Making separate rules for different types of memberships and extending varying benefits and voting rights and prescribing different obligations shall not be construed as unfair discrimination

4E.  At present the Society shall have the following categories of members:

E1-   Virtual Member  [also known as Nominal Member]

E2-   Associate Member [also known as Temporary Member]

E3-   Ordinary Member

E4-   Patron Member

E5-   Institutional Member

E6-   Affiliate Member

E7-   Honorary Member

4F.  General Conditions

F1-   The Ordinary Member, Institutional Member and the Affiliate Member shall have two classes, viz, Annual or Life. The annual membership of any of these particular categories may be converted to life membership upon payment of subscription or fee as applicable to that particular class of membership for a period of ten years in advance, subject to its acceptance by the Board of Governors.

F2-   Ordinarily life membership only confers a financial concession and protects the members against the fee hike up to a certain period. The Board of Governors may, nevertheless, discontinue at any time any benefits enjoyed by the Life Members with the consent of the Board of Trustees.

F3-   However, in respect of Lifetime Trustees, the term “life” means the complete physical life of such person and, unless denied specifically, his heirs or successors. Provided, however, that nothing contained herein forbids a lifetime trustee from resigning his position, and that such resignation will not impair the functioning of the Trust in any way. Further providing that any other position or office held by a Lifetime Trustee within the Society does not pass on to his successor or heir automatically in succession.

F4-   In any case, if the Board of Governors rejects the application for membership, the amount received with the application shall be refunded within one month from the date of rejection of the application.

F5-   Ordinarily no membership application where a fee is payable is considered a valid application if such fee is not received along with the application.

F6-   All admission to each type of membership shall be the sole discretion of the Board of Governors. In any case where the Board of Governors rejects an application for membership, the amount or fee so received with the application shall be refunded within one month.

F7-   The Membership fees and Admission or Entrance Fees may be decided and revised by the Board of Trustees from time to time.

F8-   The voting rights of various members shall be determined on the basis of the categories of memberships. Every Ordinary Member will carry one vote regardless of the number of shares held by him in an identical capacity. However, the voting rights of Patron, Affiliate and Institutional Members may vary according to their holding, membership or their capital etc. as the Board of Governors in consultation with the Board of Trustees may decide. Virtual and Associate Members are not entitled to vote and participate in governance of the Society in any manner, nor to requisition any records or to seek any information except in respect of their own membership.

F9-   The Board of Governors in consultation with the Board of Trustees, from time to time, can decide the increase, reduction or waiver of fees for certain or all categories, groups, sections of membership for a specified period of time, from time to time. Such concessions, additions etc. shall not be construed as acts of discrimination.

5. VIRTUAL MEMBERS

5A.  Virtual Members are such members, not being Ordinary Members, who electronically subscribe to the virtual register of virtual members and in whose case no physical evidence of membership may be required.

5B.  Virtual members shall not enjoy voting rights nor shall participate in the governance of the Society in any way.

5C.  Only individuals, and not firms, bodies corporate and other entities, may be enrolled Virtual Members

5D.  Virtual Membership shall be deemed purely temporary in nature and does not bestow or confer upon such members any inherent rights whatsoever beyond a kind of identity and association with the Society and beyond what the Board of Governors may from time to time announce, such as reduction in fee for seminars, access to Society’s library or website etc.

5E.  Eligible Virtual Members may, however, apply for Ordinary Membership subject to the conditions laid down hereunder

5F.  The Society shall not be required to maintain any records or evidence in respect of its Virtual Members, though the Society may, nevertheless, require the applicants to furnish particular information for its own satisfaction

5G.  The Board of Governors may discontinue, suspend or terminate this membership at will and resume or enlarge it from time to time

5H.  The Board of Governors may also prescribe, from time to time, such conditions of eligibility for this membership as it deems fit, including levying admission fee, annual fees and other subscription etc.

6. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

6A.  Associate Members, also known as Temporary Members, are such members, not being Ordinary Members, who may temporarily associate with the Society and in whose case no physical evidence of membership may be required.

6B.  Associate members shall not enjoy voting rights nor shall participate in the governance of the Society in any way, regardless of whether they are required to pay a fee or subscription or not.

6C.  Individuals, firms, bodies corporate and other entities, may be enrolled Associate Members

6D.  Associate Membership shall be deemed purely temporary in nature and does not bestow or confer upon such members any inherent rights whatsoever beyond a kind of identity and association with the Society and beyond what the Board of Governors may from time to time announce, such as reduction in fee for seminars, access to Society’s library or website, participation in Society’s functions etc.

6E.  Eligible Associate Members may, however, apply for Ordinary Membership subject to the conditions laid down hereunder

6F.  The Society shall not be required to maintain any records or evidence in respect of its Associate Members, though the Society may, nevertheless, require the applicants to furnish particular information for its own satisfaction

6G.  The Board of Governors may discontinue, suspend or terminate this membership at will and resume or enlarge it from time to time

6H.  The Board of Governors may also prescribe, from time to time, such conditions of eligibility for this membership as it deems fit, including levying admission fee, annual and fees and other subscription etc.

7. ORDINARY MEMBERS

A1-   Any sane adult, individual is eligible to apply for the Ordinary Membership of the Society subject to acceptance of this Charter

A2-   Ordinary Members on admission shall assume the responsibilities entailed by membership and shall be entitled to the benefits and privileges of Ordinary Membership, save where subscription is in arrears, unless and to the extent this be condoned by the Board of Governors.

A3-   For the time being the annual fee for the Ordinary Members is Rs. 100/- and the Admittance Fee is Rs. 50/-

A4-   Sole proprietary firms may apply in the individual name of their proprietors. Partnership firms and other collection of individuals may not be enrolled as Ordinary Member

A5-   The Society for the purpose of registration is declared to consist of an unlimited number of Ordinary Members.

8. PATRON MEMBERS:

8A.  Individuals, who may be considered by the Board of Governors as otherwise eligible for Ordinary Membership, and who additionally contribute to the corpus or any other designated fund of the Society, as prescribed by the Board of Governors from time to time, not being less than Rs. 5,000/-, may be admitted as Patron Members for a specific duration

8B.  Patron Members carry all the benefits available to the Ordinary Members and such other special privileges as the Board of Governors may from time to time confer upon them.

8C.  The Board of Governors may, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, further subdivide this membership into various categories and lay down terms governing them

9. INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS

9A.  Corporate bodies, institutions, partnership firms and other business entities, including sole proprietary concerns in their business names, subject to their paying such fees as may be prescribed for them, may be enrolled Institutional Members.

9B.  Every Institutional Member shall nominate -and shall keep at all times nominated- one of their senior officials to represent it and to vote on its behalf.

9C.  Save for a fall in the number of Ordinary Members at no time will the total of such members exceed 25% of the number of Ordinary Members.

9D.  The authorized representative of the Institutional Members so accepted by the Society shall enjoy all the rights and privileges as enjoyed by the Ordinary Members.

9E.  Institutional Members as a class shall carry such voting rights as may be prescribed by the Board of Governors from time to time subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. Provided, however, that enrolling an entity as a Institutional Member does not, ipso facto, entitle all its members and stake holders or employees and others to claim the benefits available to the members of the Society.

9F.  The Board of Governors may, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, further subdivide Institutional Members into different categories on varying terms and voting rights, related to their size, corpus, profits, number of employees etc.

9G.  If any Institutional Member is amalgamated with any other company or firm or is taken over as a going concern by any other company or its assets are assigned to any other company; or if any individual firm be dissolved and is taken over as a going concern by any other entity and its business is carried on in any other name it ceases to be the Institutional Member of the Society. The Board of Governors may allow such new company or the individual firm or entity, as the case may be, subject to the latter otherwise being eligible for Institutional Membership, to continue as a member in place of the old company or entity on such terms as it may lay down for it.

9H.  A Register of Institutional Members shall be maintained

10. AFFILIATE MEMBERS

10A.  Such societies, trusts, NGOs, associations, bodies, educational institutions, chapters of the Society and other entities, whose bye-laws or rules of governance substantially or in core, confirm with the objectives of this Society, or who undertake to modify their rules so as to confirm as such, or they are dedicated to research or education or otherwise sharing the objectives of SPRAT, and not running with the objective of making a profit; not being individuals, nor Institutional or Patron Members, may be enrolled as Affiliate Members.

10B.  Every Affiliate Member shall nominate -and shall keep at all times nominated- one of its senior officials to represent it and to vote on it behalf.

10C.  The authorized representative of the Affiliate Member so accepted by the Society, shall enjoy all the rights and privileges as enjoyed by the Ordinary Members. Provided, however, that enrolling an entity as an Affiliate Member does not, ipso facto, entitle all its members and stake holders or employees and others to claim the benefits available to the members of the Society.

10D.  Affiliate Members shall carry such voting rights and other privileges as may be prescribed by the Board of Governors from time to time, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

10E.  A Register of Affiliate Members shall be maintained.

10F.  Save for a fall in the number of Ordinary Members, at no time will the total of Affiliate Members exceed 25% of the number of Ordinary Members.

11. HONORARY MEMBERS

11A.  In exceptional cases prominent individuals of standing and repute may be admitted as Honorary Members of the Society by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Governors as a mark of recognition and honour

11B.  Honorary Members shall be entitled to all the privileges as the Ordinary Members, but shall not stand for any elections at any meeting held during their honorary membership, nor shall they hold any office while remaining Honorary Members. They shall at all times remain non-partisan within the Society

11C.  They may, upon invitation, attend any meetings of the Board of Governors and other bodies and tender advice when sought

11D.  Honorary members shall not be required to pay a membership fee or admission fee, nor to make a formal application. However, a letter of consent from such persons will be held on the records of the Society

11E.  Honorary membership may be conferred for a limited period or for life. “Life” here means a period of ten years.

11F.  Save for a fall in the number of Ordinary Members, at no time the total of such members, currently on the rolls at any given time, will exceed 1% of the number of Ordinary Members

11G.  The Board of Governors may, by a resolution passed by three-fourth of its full membership, lay down additional conditions or alter existing conditions of eligibility of such membership, subject to these provisions

11H.  A Register of Honorary Members shall be maintained

12. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS

12A.  An application for admission of membership, where such an application is required, shall be made to the Secretary in such forms as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board of Governors

12B.  Virtual Members may sign up on such electronic registration form as provided on the official website(s) of the Society or on such paper form as prescribed by the Board of Governors

12C.  Applications shall be considered as expeditiously as possible but the Board of Governors may call upon the applicant to furnish such additional information relating to his eligibility as may be considered necessary. When all information is furnished the application must be disposed off within 60 days.

12D.  Every application for membership shall be reviewed by the Board of Governors and, if approved, admitted by a resolution adopted by a simple majority of its members present and voting. However, in respect of the Virtual Member the Board of Governors may authorize one of its functionaries to do so. Similarly the Board of Governors by virtue of a resolution passed by a majority of 3/4th of its total members authorize a sub-committee to exercise its powers in respect of admission of members except for the Honorary Members.

12E.  The Board of Governors in its absolute discretion may admit members and shall be empowered to reject any application for admission without assigning to the applicant any reason for its rejection

12F.  The admission or rejection of any application for membership shall be notified to the applicant within 70 days

13. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION / FEE AND DUES

13A.  The Society may prescribe and change the fee for admission as well as an annual fee for each class of membership separately. The Lifetime Trustees are exempt from all types of fees and levies that may be otherwise necessary to keep the membership alive.

13B.  All membership dues are payable in advance for a financial year in full and shall become due on the first day of the financial year and this shall be payable before the end of two months from that date

13C.  The Board of Governors may provide a reduced half-yearly or quarterly portion of the annual fee for new members. However, in respect of Patron Members the Board of Governors at its discretion may grant a deferred payment schedule.

13D.  In cases, where in the opinion of the Board of Governors, unusual expenditure or commitments may become necessary in furtherance of the objectives or interests of the Society or of its members, the Board of Governors shall be empowered to levy and claim from any one or more classes of members, on an equitable basis, such new or additional sum or sums, provided that in any one financial year, such levy or levies shall not exceed an amount equal to the normal annual subscription of the particular class of member, and that this decision is ratified by the General Body

13E.  Where a fee -including annual subscription- or a levy is called for or becomes due and the member fails to pay it within three calendar months from such call or due date, such member shall be ipso-facto disqualified from taking part in any proceedings of the Society

13F.  The Board of Governors may from time to time prescribe penalties or late fee to be levied upon all delayed payments, subscription or fee. Such penalties and late fees shall be deemed to be integral part of the fee and shall attract the same penalties as the fee itself. However, acceptance and condoning of delayed payment shall be the discretion of the Board of Governors

14. TRANSFER OF PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERS

14A.  The privileges of membership shall not be transferable or transmittable save and except in the manner and to the extent provided for by the Board of Governors

15. CESSATION OF MEMBERSHIP

15A.  A member ceases to be a member upon his death. However, heirs and successors of Lifetime Trustee/s shall continue to enjoy such membership ad infinitum

15B.  No member may be a member under more than one category / class in the same capacity. If eligible and approved for a second class of membership he must resign from one class choosing any one type of membership.

15C.  If any member fails to pay the annual subscription or levy of fee, including the late fee, within three months of the due date, a final notice shall be sent to such a member requesting payment of the amount due within two (2) months and, in default of payment within such period, the Board of Governors may remove the name of the defaulting member from the Register. Such a removed member may be debarred from the membership of the Society for any length of time.

15D.  If in the opinion of the Board of Governors, any member has by reason of breach of or non-compliance with this Charter, or otherwise, ceased to be eligible for membership of the Society, such member shall be invited to show cause within fifteen (15) days from the date of notice as to why his name should not be removed from the Register. If the member fails to show cause in accordance with the notice, or if the Board of Governors is of the opinion that the member has failed to establish his continued eligibility, the name of such member shall be removed from the Register

15E.  A member may resign from the Society at any time by giving thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Secretary of his intention to resign and the resignation shall take effect upon the expiry of the notice, or earlier at the option of the Society, but without prejudice to any liability or obligation incurred by him while he was a member

15F.  The Board of Governors shall have the power by resolution to expel from membership of the Society a member who in the opinion of the Board of Governors established by an absolute majority of the full strength of the Board of Governors, is guilty of professional or other misconduct or has committed a breach of the provisions of this Charter, after providing a reasonable opportunity to such member to show cause or be heard against such expulsion

15G.  A member shall, ipso facto, cease to be a member of the Society:

G1-   In the case of annual members or members whose subscription is renewable every year, upon the expiry of a year from the date of his membership

G2-   In case a member makes a default in paying his subscription in terms of this Charter

G3-   In case a member resigns in the manner laid down in this Charter

G4-   In case, where a member is an individual, he becomes an undischarged insolvent or makes a composition or scheme of arrangement under the Insolvency Act or if he is adjudged by a competent court to be of unsound mind or if he is convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude; in the event of his death or being found by a judicial authority, guilty of a criminal offence

G5-   In case where a member is an association, trust, firm or company, if it is dissolved or if it goes into liquidation or adjudged insolvent or makes a composition or scheme of arrangement under the Insolvency Act or whose partners and working directors as such are convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude

G6-   In case a member suffers from any disability, incapacity or disqualification as provided in this Charter provided in all such cases that the Board of Governors will be empowered to waive any such disqualifications in respect of any member/s

G7-   The subscription or fees paid by the members of the Society is not ordinarily refundable on cessation of membership

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