Constitution

    1. NAME The Society shall be known as the SRl LANKA - lNDIA SOCIETY
    2. REGISTERED OFFICE The registered address of the Society shall be in Colombo or as decided by the Executive Committee.

  2. OBJECTIVES
    The Society shall promote the development and promotion of social and cultural relations between Sri Lanka and India with a view to promoting friendship between the two countries. In furtherance of these objectives the society may :-
    1. organize social and cultural gatherings of its members and other well wishers of Sri Lanka and India.
    2. provide a forum for eminent personalities to address meetings under the auspices of the Society.
    3. organize and assist exchange of students, artistes, lecturers and literature between the two countries.
    4. co-operate with other organizations and individuals as may be appropriate to further the objectives of the Society.

  3. MEMBERSHIP
    1. A person over the age of 18 years may apply in writing for membership in the prescribed form accompanied by
      1. (a) An application fee of Rs.500.00 and
      2. (b) The relevant membership fee both of which will be refunded if the application is not accepted.
        3. The decision of the Executive Committee in the matter of acceptance or rejection of an application will be final.
    2. Membership of the Society shall consist of :-
      1. Life Members
        2. Life Members who shall be those admitted as such life Members by the Executive Committee on application and payment of a life membership fee of Rs.4000.00.
      2. Ordinary Members
        3. Ordinary Members who shall be those admitted by the Executive Committee on application and payment of the annual membership fee of Rs.500.00 payable before 31st March each year. A member whose subscription is in arrears on the 31st March of any year shall cease to be a member ipso facto from the next day.
      3. Corporate Members
        4. Corporate Membership may be approved by the Executive Committee on application in respect of institutions and business enterprises on a payment of a once and for all member-ship fee of Rs. 10,000.00. The institution or business enterprise shall thereafter be entitled to be represented at meetings of the society by a nominee or his alternate whose name shall be conveyed to the Hony. Secretary, in advance.
      4. Honorary Life Members
        Honorary Life Membership may be conferred by a 2/3 rd majority of the Executive Committee on such persons as may be deemed deserving of such honour through their contributions towards the furtherance of the objectives of the Society. PROVIDED however:-
        1. the number of the Honorary Members shall not exceed five (5) at any time and
        2. such conferment shall come into effect only when it is ratified at a General Meeting.

  4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
    1. Membership shall terminate by death, resignation or nonpayment of membership fees.
    2. The Executive Committee may suspend a member from membership if he or she is found guilty of any conduct prejudicial to the interests or good name of the Society provided
    3. however, the member has been given an opportunity to show cause in writing why a suspension order should not be made. A suspension order shall either be reversed or converted to a removal on a decision taken at the very next Annual General Meeting held after the suspension order.

  5. OFFICE BEARERS / EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
    1. There shall be an Executive Committee elected in the manner prescribed in the Article 6 below which Committee shall administer the affairs of the Society from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which the Committee is elected till the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.
    2. There shall be a Patron who shall be the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka or in his absence the Acting or Deputy High Commissioner.
    3. There shall be 3 Vice Patrons who will be elected at the Annual General Meeting for a 3 year period.
    4. The Executive Committee shall consist of :-
      • President
      • 3 Vice Presidents
      • Hony. Secretary
      • Asst. Secretary
      • Treasurer
      • Asst. Treasurer
      • Editor
      • 24 Committee Members.
      • Immediate Past President (ex-officio)
    5. An official of the Indian High Commission may be present at Committee Meetings and participate in the proceedings.
    6. The Executive Committee may appoint sub-committees for various activities of the Society as deemed necessary, from among the members of the Executive Committee with provision to co - opt members outside the committee as required. The sub-committees shall function under the direction and control of the Executive Committee.
    7. A member absenting at three consecutive meetings without being excused (at that meeting or at the next meeting) by the Committee for such absenteeism for valid reasons will automatically cease to be a member of the Executive Committee.
    8. A member who has failed to attend at least half the number of committee meetings held during the year shall not be eligible to be considered for re-election as a member of the executive committee of the following year. PROVIDED however this disqualification shall not apply to the Immediate Past President and the nationals of India referred to in Article 6(ii).
    9. Vacancies in the Executive Committee falling in between two Annual General Meetings shall be filled by the Executive Committee.
    10. No member shall hold the same office for a consecutive period of over three years provided however a member can hold the office of Hony. Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer or Editor for a consecutive period of not more than 5 years except as a Committee Member which shall be 8 years.

  6. ELECTIONS
    1. At a meeting of the Executive Committee to be held on at least on or before the 10th day of June every year, the Executive Committee shall recommend suitable candidates for the following posts
      • President
      • Three Vice Presidents
      • Hony. Secretary
      • Asst. Secretary
      • Treasurer
      • Asst. Treasurer
      • Editor
    2. At a meeting of the Executive Committee to be held on or before the 10th day of June every year the Executive Committee shall nominate Fourteen (14) members, Ten (10) of whom may be nationals of India to serve in the next Executive Committee. Provided however that the consent of the fourteen (14) members proposed to be so nominated has been obtained in writing before such meeting.
    3. In the notice informing the date of the Annual General Meeting (to be despatched on or before the 20th June every year) the Hony. Secretary shall inform the members of the recommendations and nominations made by the Executive Committee as aforesaid and call for any other nominations which members may wish to make for any of the posts mentioned above and also for the Balance 10 Committee Members and the Hony. Secretary shall despatch that notice to all the members on the same date as to be evidenced by the postal frank.
    4. Nominations shall be sent in the prescribed form set out in the schedule hereto under registered post addressed to the Hony. Secretary on or before the 5th July every year and the postal frank shall be the evidence of the dates on which such nominations were posted.
    5. Unless each of the candidates shall have been continuously a member of the Society for a consecutive period of at least three years, he shall not be entitled to be nominated to any office provided however this restriction shall not apply to members who are Indian expatriate nationals residing in Sri Lanka.
    6. If a person has been a nominee representing any corporate member which has been a member of the Society continuously for a consecutive period of at least three (03) years he shall be a member qualified to be a candidate within the meaning of the sub paragraph (E) above.
    7. A member cannot be a candidate for more than one office at an Annual General Meeting.
    8. The candidates recommended by the Executive Committee shall be deemed to be the candidates duly nominated for the respective posts and no separate nomination need be made in respect of those recommended candidates.
    9. The Hony. Secretary shall place all the nominations received before the Executive Committee to be convened on or before the 15th July every year and shall on or before the 22nd July every year send to all the members a full list of the candidates including those recommended by the Executive Committee with the full names of the candidates and their proposers and seconders, in the case of the candidates not recommended by the Executive Committee.
    10. The Hony. Secretary shall on the written request of any member permit him to examine any nomination up to 10.00 a.m. on the day before the Annual General Meeting.
    11. If there is more than one candidate for an office there shall be an election by voting in the manner prescribed by Article 10.
    12. The Executive Committee shall have the power to extend any time limit specified for steps to be taken in this Article 6 by a 2/3rd majority vote of those present PROVIDED however such extension shall not be for more than 60 days.

  7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
    1. The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held as soon as possible after the close of the financial year of the Society but not later than 31st July.PROVIDED however the Executive Committee may by a 2/3rd majority of those present postpone an Annual General Meeting for a date not later than the 30th September of that year.
    2. Such Annual General Meeting shall be held on a date and time to be determined by the Executive Committee. At least two weeks notice thereof in writing shall be given to all members by the Hony. Secretary.
    3. The business to be transacted at an Annual General Meeting shall consist of the following :-
      1. Confirmation of minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and of any Special General Meetings;
      2. The adoption of the report of year’s work by the Executive Committee and the audited statement of accounts for the year;
      3. Election of the Executive Committee; a Member Auditor and 3 Vice Patrons.
      4. Appointment of Auditors.
      5. Any other business of which due notice has been given.
    4. Any member desiring to bring up any matter at an Annual General Meeting shall give notice thereof in writing to the Hony. Secretary not less than one week before such meeting.

  8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING:
    9. A special General Meeting of the Society shall be convened by the Hony. Secretary at the request of the Executive Committee, or on a requisition signed by not less than twenty members, and specifying the business which they desire to raise. The relating to an Annual General Meeting shall mutatis mutandis apply to a Special General Meeting.

  9. QUORUM
    10. The quorum for an Annual and Special General Meeting shall be 40 and 15 for a meeting of the Executive Committee.

  10. VOTING
    11. All matters arising at a meeting of the Society or in any one of its Committee shall be decided by a majority vote. The manner in which a vote is to be taken shall ordinarily be by a show of hands unless otherwise decided by a majority vote. The person occupying the chair shall not have the right to vote other than when there is an equal ballot. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.

  11. FINANCES
    1. The financial year of the Society shall begin on 1st April of any year and terminate on 31st March of the following year.
    2. The funds of the Society shall be deposited in a Bank to be determined by the Executive Committee. The Bank Accounts of the Society shall be operated jointly by the Hony. Treasurer and either the President, or the Hony. Secretary.
    3. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection, custody and disbursement of all funds of the Society maintenance of Cash Book and the Ledgers, custody of the cheque books, operation of Bank Accounts in accordance with the provisions in the Constitution of the Society, maintenance of a membership register and preparation of the Annual Statement of Accounts.
    4. The Treasurer shall get the Member Auditor to examine the Accounts before being sent for auditing.

  12. CHAIRMAN OF MEETINGS
    1. The President of the Society shall be Chairman of all the meetings of the Society and the Executive Committee.
    2. If the President is not present at any meeting one of the Vice Presidents as may be elected by the Council or the Executive Committee (as the case may be) and in the absence of the Vice Presidents a member of the Executive Committee as may be elected by the House or Committee (as the case may be) shall preside at such meeting as the pro-tem Chairman and while presiding at such meetings such pro-tem Chairman shall have all the powers of the President till the conclusion of that meeting.
    3. In cases of dispute doubt or difficulty respecting or arising out of matters of procedure or order at any meeting the decision of the President or in his absence that of the pro-tem Chairman shall be final and conclusive.

  13. POWER TO FRAME WORKING RULES
    14. The Executive Committee shall have the power to make rules from time to time for the efficient working of the Society, provided they are not inconsistent with the Constitution of the Society.

  14. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
    15. This Constitution of the Society shall not be amended except at a General Meeting of the Society and by a two third majority of those present and voting at such meeting.

  15. GENERAL
    1. Any matter not provided for in the forgoing rules shall be dealt with by the Executive Committee whose decision will be final, and, shall be effective and binding unless and until reversed or varied at a General Meeting.
    2. In the event of nominations not being received to satisfy the requirements of the Article 6(iv) or if any candidate or nominee dies the Executive Committee shall have the power to take decisions as it may deem appropriate in those circumstances.

  16. DISSOLUTION
    17. The Society may be dissolved and the funds and belongings thereof disposed of in any manner decided upon at a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose if at least three fourths of the total number of members attend the meeting and vote for such dissolution.
Schedule
SRI LANKA – INDIA SOCIETY

NOMINATION FOR THE POST OF ......…………......... (YEAR : ………..)

Candidate's full name : ................................................. Signature : ..................................
Proposer's Full name : .................................................. Signature : ..................................
Seconder's Full name : .................................................. Signature : ..................................
Date : __________________ 20......
(This is the Constitution as adopted at the General Meeting held on 23rd May, 1995 and as subsequently amended at the Special General Meeting held on the 3rd July 1997 and the Annual General Meetings on the 28th July 1997, 29th July 1999, 7 June 2001 , 29th July 2005 and 31st July 2009 )

Con-sin(3).doc/SLIS
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