Constitution/Amendments

Constitution / Amendments

The name of the Association shall be "THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN UROLOGISTS" hereafter referred to as "The Association".

The Council of the Association shall determine the location of the office of the Association from time to time.

To promote high standards in the practice of Urology.
To associate together under one Association all scientific personnel actively interested in practice of Urology in the States of South India, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh, Telangana and Union Territories of Lakshadweep islands and Puducherry.
b1. (Amendment, 2014): To associate together in one corporate body all scientific personnel actively interested in practice of Urology in Southern states namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry (Puducherry) and other territories namely Lakshadeep Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
To foster high and uniform standards of postgraduate training in Urology.
To promote research in Urology and other related disciplines for the purpose of improving the practice of Urology.
To promote, establish or support any Institution, scientific Association or research organization which is engaged in raising the standards of Urological practice or teaching or research in Urology in South India.
To promote publication of scientific literature pertaining to Urological practice or research.
To endeavour to establish and maintain liaison with other Associations or organized bodies, in India or abroad, whose objects are keeping with those of Association.
To carry out any other activities which are identical or conducive to the furtherance of the objectives of the Association.
To represent the interests of the members in the affairs of the Urological Society of India and to serve as the South zone affiliate of the same.
All activities of the Association shall be charitable in nature and not motivated by profit.
The benefit of objectives would be available to the general public irrespective of caste, creed, religion or sex.
In the event of any reorganisation of the above States & Union Territories in accordance with law, the newly created entities shall also be included provided the Urologists therein form a registered body of their own.

There shall be following categories of members.

Full Members shall be qualified Urologists engaged in active practice of Urology in South India, and whose Urological qualifications have been registered with the State Medical Council of one of the States in the jurisdiction of the Association of Southern Urologists.
Their membership shall commence after they have paid the membership fee stipulated from time to time, and after the General Body of the Association has approved their full-member status at the Annual General Body meeting.
Their membership shall be for life, unless the General Body of the Association, following due process for the same, has terminated the same.

Note: Full Members who transfer their medical Council registration to any State other than those Stated in No. 2B above, or outside the territory of India shall be placed in the category of “Affiliate Members”; in the event of their returning to practice in any of the States of South India, they shall be reverted to “Full Member” status on submitting proof of their return. Their status as “Full Members” in such a case shall become effective from the first day of the month succeeding the one in which the application is made, proof submitted, and the application is found to be in order by the Executive Council.

Associate Members shall be Postgraduate residents registered for the M.Ch or DNB course in Urology, or
Non-postgraduate residents working in the Urology department of an Institution recognized for the M.Ch or DNB course in Urology provided they possess postgraduate qualifications meeting eligibility criteria for enrolment into the DNB or M.Ch courses in Urology.
Their membership shall commence after they have paid the membership fee stipulated from time to time, at the conclusion of the Annual General Body Meeting at which their membership has been approved.
Their membership shall be for life, unless the General Body of the Association, following due process for the same, has terminated the same or their status has been changed to “Full Member” on their speciality qualifications in Urology being duly registered in one of the State Medical Councils in the States of South India, or to “Affiliate Member” following the prescribed procedure for such change.

Affiliate Members shall be Specialists qualified in the modern system of Medicine who are registered with the Indian Medical Council or one of the State Medical Councils in the territory of functioning of the Association, engaged in the practice of a speciality other than Urology but having a keen interest pursuing common interests in Urology (for e.g. Radiologists, Pathologists, Microbiologists, etc.), or
Scientists with Ph.D. in any field of Science or a degree in engineering who are actively engaged in applied aspects of their disciplines with relevance to the study and practice of Urology.
They shall formally apply for the Affiliate Membership of the Association following due procedure laid down from time to time.
Their applications shall be scrutinised by the Council and presented to the General Body if found in order.
The General Body alone shall be competent to approve such applications for Affiliate Membership
On such approval being granted, the Secretary shall convey such approval to them in writing.
Their membership fee shall be the same as for Full Members, and the membership shall be for life, or until they have terminated their membership on their own or the General Body of the Association has terminated the membership following procedure laid down for the same
Their membership shall commence after they have paid the membership fee stipulated from time to time and after the conclusion of the Annual General Body Meeting at which their membership was approved
They may be qualified Urologists engaged in active practice of Urology in areas other than South India

Full Members:

They shall have the right to participate in the scientific deliberations of the Association, and present papers, posters or videos at the same provided such papers, posters or videos have been selected following the process laid down for the same.
They shall have the right to attend the General Body meetings of the Association and take part in the deliberations at the same.
They shall have the right to participate in the selection process for fellowships, prizes, awards and other honours for which they are eligible.
They shall have the right to submit contributions to the newsletter, website and publications of the Association subject to editorial judgement on the matter submitted.
They shall have the right to exercise their vote on matters put to vote at the General Body meetings.
They shall have the right to vote at the election of office bearers of the Association.
They shall have the right to contest for offices of the Association, on fulfilling the required criteria for eligibility.
They shall have the right to be nominated or elected for any of the offices of the Association, or to any committees or sub-committees of the Association, as per the procedure laid down for the same

Associate Members:

They shall have the right to participate in the scientific deliberations of the Association, and present papers, posters or videos at the same provided such papers, posters or videos have been selected following the process laid down for the same.
They shall have the right to participate in the selection process for fellowships, prizes, awards and other honours for which they are eligible.
They shall have the right to submit contributions to the newsletter, website and publications of the Association subject to editorial judgement on the matter submitted.
They shall not have the right to contest for any office, attend the General Body meeting or vote at any of the meetings of the Association.
They shall not have the right to be nominated/co-opted for any of the offices of ASU or any committee or sub-committees of the ASU as per the procedure laid down for the same.

Affiliate Members:

They shall have the right to participate in the scientific deliberations of the Association, and present papers, posters or videos at the same provided such papers, posters or videos have been selected following the process laid down for the same.
They shall be eligible to participate in any quiz, contest or award competition conducted specifically for, or open to, the category of Affiliate Members.
They shall have the right to submit contributions to the newsletter, website and publications of the Association subject to editorial judgement on the matter submitted.
They shall not have the right to contest for any office, attend the General Body meeting or vote at any of the meetings of the Association.
They shall not have the right to be nominated/co-opted for any of the offices of ASU or any committee or sub-committees of the ASU as per the procedure laid down for the same.

Members who have applied for membership in any category shall be admitted by the council of the ASU after verifying their application. The members will avail the benefit of ASU members except voting which could only be done after their full membership is ratified by the general body meeting

A member, in any category, may resign from membership at any time by serving a notice in writing to the Secretary. Such resignation shall not relieve the member from the responsibility of paying any dues or amounts outstanding to the Association prior to cessation of membership
The resignation will be deemed to be effective from the date recorded on such written communication, if accepted
The Membership may also be terminated, after initial acceptance and approval by the General Body, if it is found that material facts pertaining to eligibility for membership supplied in the application were incorrect, whenever such inaccuracy comes, or is brought, to the notice of the Council. Such a step shall be taken after the member concerned has been given reasonable opportunity to produce original documents to support his claim to membership.
The Council may similarly change the membership category of a member from full to associate, full to affiliate or associate to affiliate for the reason in 6(c) above
The Council may terminate the membership of any member in the following circumstances :
- A member has been found guilty of professional misconduct by the Indian Medical, or any State Medical Council resulting in the member being struck off the rolls of the Council.
- A member is found guilty of conduct that brings to serious and lasting disrepute to the Association, its office bearers or other members, provided that such a member has been given reasonable opportunity to present his case to the Council, and provided that in case of termination of membership, the latter is confirmed at the Annual General Body Meeting by two third majority of members present.
- The membership will cease from the time of conclusion of the Annual General Body meeting at which such action has been approved by the General Body.

member may be suspended from membership if the Council has prepared a recommendation for termination of membership to be presented to the General Body; such suspension shall commence from the date of the Council meeting at which the recommendation for termination was approved by the Council; the Secretary shall convey such a decision in writing to the member concerned.
A member may be suspended for a Stated period as a penalty for professional or personal misconduct which is less serious than the misconduct referred to in 5(c) (ii), but which has resulted in loss of reputation to the Association, its office bearers or any member; such suspension shall come into force after approval by the General Body at the annual General Body meeting.
The period of such suspension shall be as recommended by the Council and approved by the General Body.
A member may also be suspended if he or she has been suspended from the register of Medical Practitioners by the Indian Medical Council, or State Medical Council. In such an event, the suspension shall be from the date of suspension from the Medical Register and shall be contemporaneous with the duration of suspension from the register. Suspension under these circumstances shall not require a separate ratification from the General Body.

past-member whose membership was terminated under 5(c) above may apply for membership at a later date; such an application shall be made in the manner prescribed at that time, and shall be processed as laid down in the procedure for approval of new membership.
A past member whose membership was terminated under 5(c) above may apply in similar manner provided the member expresses regret, deficiencies that led to the earlier termination have been corrected and documentary proof of the same is submitted; the Council shall process such an application in the same manner as for approval of new membership and present the same to the General Body for approval as per procedure.
The Council shall have the right to reject such applications if it is not satisfied that all the earlier deficiencies have been remedied, and shall intimate the General Body about the same.
All other stipulations pertaining to fresh membership, including the payment of membership fees, shall apply

The membership subscription shall be determined by the Council and approved by the General Body. At the present time the subscription shall be Rs. 5000/- (Rupees five thousand only).
The subscription for all categories of membership shall be the same.
The subscription shall be a one-time fee, and shall be non-refundable.
The subscription may be paid in cash against due receipt, by cheque from authorised banks, or through inter-bank transfer to the account of the Association.
Subscriptions shall be routed through the Treasurer in order to facilitate uptodate book keeping.
The subscription shall be submitted along with the application form for new membership in any category.
The money received as membership subscription shall not be utilised for any expenditure but shall be deposited into the main corpus of the Association.
The subscription shall be revised every three years to compensate for inflation and higher operational costs of the Association's activities after due approval by the General Body.
No additional fee will be charged for conversation from Associated/ Affiliate membership to full membership. The application form for conversion with all details may be sent to Hon. Secretary with self attested copies of Urology qualification with the State Medical Council in South India.

The Financial year of the Association shall be from 1st April to 31st March.

The funds of the Association would be utilized only towards the objectives and no portion of it would be distributed in any manner to the trustees or persons defined in section 13(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
The accounts of the Association shall be in nationalised banks only.
The funds of the Association shall be held in these accounts, or in approved government bonds & securities as mandated in the Income Tax Act as amended from time to time.
The funds shall be utilised only for purposes approved by the General Body of the Association, and in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax Act as amended from time to time.
Not more than 5% of the income of the Association would be applied for any religious purposes or given to religious Institutions. Any such transactions would be only on the approval of the General Body.
The Treasurer shall operate the bank accounts in the name of the Association. The Treasurer of the Association shall sign all cheques along with the secretary, ASU.

All officers of the Association shall be elected by the General Body at the Annual General Body meeting of the Association as per procedure laid down for the election of officebearers.
No office Bearer of the Association shall be eligible for re-election for the same post for a second time.
The following shall be deemed officers of the Association:
- The President
- The President-elect
- The Secretary
- The Secretary -elect
- The Treasurer

President

The person elected as President-elect for a given year shall automatically become the President for the following year.
The President will hold the Office for one year.
The President shall hold Office from the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the annual Conference at which he is installed to the installation of the new President at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the succeeding annual Conference.
n the event of the incumbent President-elect being unwilling or unavailable to assume the office of President, the President shall be elected at the commencement of the Annual General Body meeting, and shall be installed in the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Conference; The President so elected shall hold office till handing over to the incoming President at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the following year.

President-Elect

To be eligible for election to this post, the member should have completed one full term as Council member, Secretary or Treasurer of the Association. Consequently, a member who is elected mid-term, or has demitted office without completing a full term, shall not be eligible to contest merely on the grounds of having completed a part of the term.
The president - elect shall be elected by a due election process conducted as per constitution or during the Annual general body meeting of the Association from among eligible members
The President-elect shall hold office from the time of installathan at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual Scientific Meeting at which the election has taken place until installation as President at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the succeeding Annual Scientific Meeting.

Secretary

The Secretary -elect shall automatically take over as the Secretary on the completion of the term of the incumbent Secretary.
The Secretary shall hold office for a period of two years.
The Secretary's term shall commence from the time of installation at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual Scientific Meeting, after completing the term of Secretary -elect, and shall conclude on installation of the next Secretary at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual Scientific Meeting at which the new Secretary has assumed office

Secretary-Elect

To be eligible for election to this post, the member should have completed one full term as Council Member/Treasurer.
The secretary-elect shall be elected by a due election process conducted as per constitution or during the Annual general body meeting of the Association from among eligible members.
The Secretary -elect shall hold office for a period of two years.
The Secretary-Elect's term shall commence from the date of the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual Scientific Meeting at which the election has taken place.
The Secretary -elect shall automatically take over as the Secretary on the completion of the term of the incumbent Secretary.
In the event of the incumbent Secretary -elect being unwilling or unavailable to assume the office of Secretary, the Secretary shall be elected at the commencement of the Annual General Body meeting, and shall be installed in the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Conference; The Secretary so elected shall hold office till handing over to the incoming Secretary at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the following year.

Treasurer

To be eligible for election to this post, the member should have completed one full term as Council Member/Secretary
The Treasurer shall be elected at the Annual General Body meeting of the Association from among eligible members.
The Treasurer shall hold office for a period of two years.
The Treasurer's term shall commence from the time of installation at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual General Body meeting at which the election has taken place and shall conclude on installation of the next Treasurer at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual General meeting at which the new Treasurer has been elected.

President

The President shall preside over all official events of the Association
The President shall chair meetings of the Executive Council of the Association.
The President shall preside over and conduct the Annual General Body meetings and other General Body meetings of the Association.
The President shall represent the Association on the Council of the Urological Society of India during the term of office of the President
The President shall preside over any sub-committee constituted by the Executive Council for any purpose.

President-Elect

The President-elect shall perform all duties of the President in the absence of the President or upon the request of the President.
The President-elect shall have such additional responsibilities as may be assigned by the Council or the President from time to time

Secretary

The Secretary shall look after the day-to-day affairs of the Association under the directions of the Council. In addition, and specifically, the Secretary shall:

Summon all meetings of the Association, the Council and Subcommittees (if any) on the advice of the President.
Prepare the agenda for such meetings in consultation with the President.
Record minutes of the deliberations and circulate them to the concerned members
Maintain and update all files, documents, registers, books and other records of the Association.
Maintain an up-to-date register of members. Update membership database, update change of membership status (after due ratification by General Body) and ensure periodic publication of the Membership database.
Formulate the annual report to be presented to the Council and Annual General Body Meeting.
Prepare reports for statutory submissions and present them to the Council for approval prior to submission.
Correspond with various statutory bodies, Urological Society of India, State Associations, other professional Associations and such other entities as may be required in the discharge of the Secretary’s responsibilities.
Prepare the list of Prize winners & Award winners for announcement at the appropriate events and meetings
Prepare the citations to be presented to Orators & Faculty delivering named lectures.
Prepare the Schedule for all scientific meetings and events conducted by the Association including the scientific sessions of the Annual Conference and ASU-Prof.HSB Workshop.
Correspond with and guide the local Organizing Committees of meetings and Annual Conferences in order to ensure smooth and efficient conduct of the same.
Prepare and circulate the Newsletter of the Association.
Invite at appropriate time, applications for various prizes/awards, nominations for various posts like chairpersons, moderators, convenors etc and nominations for various office posts of ASU
Correspond with the invited faculties and guests for the Annual Conference and the Midterm workshop and inform them regarding their allotted scientific schedules and also inform the local organizers regarding their travel schedule to make necessary arrangements for accommodation and local transport.
Maintain & update the Handbook of the Association with contents addressing all activities of the Association.
Maintain, update and whenever required upgrade the website of the Association as per requirements of members and decisions of the General Body or Council.
Work in co-ordination with the Treasurer to ensure that all statutory obligations of the Association to the regulatory authorities are discharged in time, and effectively.
Preparing the Financial budget and planning the conduct of charitable activities.
Filing of the Society documents annually to Registrar of societies for continuation of Registration within three months of the conclusion of Annual General Body Meeting
Filing of Income Tax Returns through the Auditor
Making arrangements for the conduct of elections to the various posts of ASU
Running ASU office during annual Conferences
Preparing and maintaining an archive of biographies, historical materials, photographs and such other artefacts so as to capture and perpetuate the history of the Association, its founding members, past office bearers and those who brought laurels to the Association through their academic and professional achievements.

Secretary-Elect

The Secretary -elect shall assist the Secretary in all functions of the Secretary.
The Secretary -elect shall stand-in for the Secretary during the latter's absence for any reason.
The Secretary - elect will co ordinate with the Scientific Committee in Organising ASU - Prof. ASU Midterm workshop and with the ASU Council members in organizing the Council Member's program.
The Secretary- elect shall have such additional responsibilities as may be assigned by the President/ Secretary/ Council from time to time.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall :

Receive all subscriptions and other dues from the members.
Make payments for all approved expenditure on receiving communication about them from the Secretary, obtain receipts for the same and keep the book of accounts updated promptly.
Prepare and present an interim summary of accounts at the meetings of the Council
Prepare the Annual Financial report consisting of the Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss Statement and a Summary of accounts in conjunction with the approved auditor and obtaining the auditor's certification for the same.
Present the audited Financial report to the Council, and obtaining its approval for presentation of the same to the General Body
Present the audited Financial Report to the General Body and addressing queries and providing clarifications to members.
Keep true and accurate records of all financial transactions of the Association.
Notify members & sponsors of dues in a timely manner and collect the outstanding dues from them.
Represent the Association along with the approved auditor at any statutory inquiries pertaining to the finances of the Association.
Advise the Council in judicious use of its finances in order to ensure compliance with statutory obligations and optimise their utilisation to further the activities of the Association.

The Council shall assist the officers of the Association in the conduct of the affairs of the Association. The General Body of members shall determine the composition of the Council from time to time. At the present time the General Body has determined that the Council shall comprise of the following members:

Members of the Council

The President
The President-elect
The Secretary
The Secretary-elect
The Treasurer
The Immediate Past-President
One member from each of the State units under the jurisdiction of the Association, duly elected by the General Body of ASU, provided such a member has been a full member of the Association of Southern Urologists for a period of at least five calendar years. They will hold the office for two years from the time of installation at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual General Body Meeting at which the election has taken place and shall conclude on installation of the next Council Member at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony of the Annual General meeting at which the new Council Member has been elected
The Presidents of the State units under the jurisdiction of the Association, for a period contemporaneous with their term of office, shall be “exofficio” members

Responsibilities of the Council

The Council shall constitute the executive authority of the Association
The Council shall determine and plan scientific, business and financial activities as mandated by the General Body of members.
The Council shall meet to deliberate on activities of the Association and any other matter requiring executive consideration
The Council shall meet at least once in every quarter of the calendar year.
The Council shall mandatorily meet immediately prior to the Annual General Body meeting to approve the agenda for the Annual General Body meeting, and to approve the audited financial Statement for presentation to the General Body
The Council shall be responsible for arrangements for the business and scientific parts of the Annual General Meeting.
The Council shall be responsible for the investment of monies of the Association with due regard to legal stipulations regarding such investments, and in accordance with the expressed wish of the General Body regarding the same.
The Council may appoint sub committees for specific tasks requiring exclusive attention or specific expertise.
The Council may appoint members to the sub-committee from amongst themselves, or from the general membership of the Association; however, anybody who is not a Full Member of the Association may only participate in such a sub-committee as an invitee, and shall have no role in decision making.
Such a sub-committee shall work under the direction of the Council.
The work allocated to such a committee shall be completed in a timebound framework, and a written report submitted to the full Council for discussion and approval.
Such sub-committee reports shall be incorporated in the annual report of the Association after approval by the Council, and presented at the Annual General Body meeting.
If a duly elected Council Member fails to attend two consecutive Executive Council meetings in a year, he/she shall voluntarily relinquish the post. The same shall be conveyed in writing to the President within a fortnight of the previous council meeting. A member who has voluntarily relinquished the council post in such a manner shall be eligible to contest again for the same later.
In the event such a member does not voluntarily relinquish the post as in (xiii) above, such a member shall forfeit his/her post. Such forfeiture shall be effected automatically, and shall be conveyed to the member in writing by the President of the Association.
A member who forfeits the council membership in such a manner shall not be eligible to contest for council membership for a period of three years
The post vacated as per (xiii) or (xiv) above shall be filled by nominations from the Executive Councils of the respective State as per procedure in 15(d)(i) below, and such a nominated member shall hold office until elections are held for a new member at the succeeding Annual General Body Meeting. A member nominated as above shall enjoy all the privileges of council membership until the election of the regular member.

Deliberations & Decision Making at Meetings of the Council & Sub-committees

All meetings shall be conducted according to the agenda prepared and circulated to members in advance.
Matters on the agenda shall be deliberated first and decisions taken before matters not on the agenda but requiring discussion are taken up with the permission of the Chairperson.
Decisions shall be taken by a consensus as far as possible.
If a consensus is not forthcoming on any matter, the Chairperson shall put the matter to vote, and record the number of members voting for and against the matter, without mentioning names; in such voting the decision of a simple majority shall be final.
In the case of a tie, the Chairperson of the meeting shall have a “Casting vote” which shall determine the outcome of the voting; the “casting vote” shall not be used to alter any decision already arrived at by a majority vote.
The decisions taken at Council meetings shall be recorded and signed by the Chairperson at the end of the meeting, and incorporated in the minutes of the meeting by the Secretary
The Secretary shall circulate the minutes within seven working days of the conclusion of these meetings for comments & amendments from members.
If no comments are received within one week from the date of circulation of minutes, the minutes shall be deemed to have been passed and shall be duly incorporated in the permanent records.
All communications pertaining to the meetings of the Council, the agenda for meetings, the minutes of meetings and any other matters under the consideration of the Council shall be sent to members in the electronic format to their E-mail addresses recorded by members in the official register or directory of the Association.
Members shall, in turn, transmit all communications from their side in similar electronic format.

Cessation of Membership of Council and Replacement of Vacancies

A non-officer member of the Council elected by the General Body is normally expected to complete the full term of membership; in the event of any member being unable to do so, the same shall be conveyed in writing to the Secretary
The Secretary shall communicate the same to the Secretary of the respective State, with a request for the State unit to send a new member as replacement; the concerned State unit shall adopt an official resolution naming a fresh member who meets the criteria of eligibility for Council membership, and send a copy of the resolution duly signed by the President & Secretary of the State unit.
The suggested name shall be circulated to the members of the ASU Council after the Secretary has ascertained that the proposed alternate member is eligible to serve in the Council.
Such an alternate member shall serve as a member of the Council until the next Annual General Body meeting at which the General Body shall elect a new member to the Council from that State; the term of such an elected alternate/new member shall be a full term commencing from the date of the installation at the Valedictory Function/Ceremony at the end of the Annual Conference.
If the vacancy arises less than 3 months from the date of the next Annual Conference, the vacancy shall only be filled as per procedure mentioned above, and no alternate member shall be co-opted or nominated.

The Annual General Meeting shall comprise of two parts - a Scientific meeting, to be referred to as the Annual Conference and a Business meeting, to be referred to as the Annual General Body Meeting.

The Annual Conference

The Annual Conference shall be held over two-and-a-half days over the second weekend in the month of July every year, except in unusual circumstances.
The scientific programme for the Conference shall be finalised by the Council, and the Secretary shall be responsible for the conduct of the same.
The format of the scientific programme, including the fixed sessions, shall be available on the website of the Association in the form of E-book that can be downloaded by members.
The protocol for the scientific programme, the Inaugural ceremony, fixed sessions and the Valedictory Function/Ceremony shall be available on the website of the Association in the form of E-Hand Book that can be downloaded by members.

The Annual General Body Meeting

The Annual General Body Meeting shall be the annual business meeting of the Association.

Date & Venue

The Annual General Body meeting shall be held on the penultimate day of the Annual Conference, at the conclusion of the scientific sessions on that day.

Notice of the Meeting

The Secretary shall send notice of the meeting indicating time, venue and agenda at least four weeks in advance of the date of the meeting. The notice shall be sent electronically to the registered E-mail address of all members as registered in the official records/members directory.

Agenda for the Meeting

The Secretary shall circulate the agenda for the meeting along with the notice of the meeting. The meeting shall mandatorily take up the following matters:

Approval of the minutes of the previous Annual General Body meeting
Discussion of the financial report presented by the Treasurer and its adoption.
A. Approval of the Audited Financial Statement and Accounts of the preceding financial year.
B. Approval of Appointment/ Reappointment of the Auditor for ASU.
Approval of list of new members recommended by the Council.
Announcement of results of the elections for the incoming office-bearers of the Association
Approval of venue for various forthcoming academic events and future Conferences
Approval of orators, and Faculty for named lectures of the Association at the next Conference
Approval to convenors for respective academic sessions at the next Conference
Discussion on duly presented Constitution amendments, if any, and approval of the same following due procedure
To discuss any resolution placed by the Council or moved by individual members following due procedure.
Discussion of any other matter brought up for discussion with the permission of the Chair

Quorum

15 Full members shall constitute the Quorum for the meeting. If the required number is not present in the hall at the designated time, the President shall adjourn the meeting for 30 minutes and reconvene the same as Adjourned General Body Meeting. The members present at the reconvened session shall be deemed to form the quorum for proceedings to be conducted.

Presenting Resolutions for Adoption at the Annual General Body Meeting :

Members wishing to bring resolutions for discussion to the meeting may do so by sending the full resolution duly seconded by another member to the Secretary at least six weeks before the date of the Annual General Body meeting.
The Secretary shall circulate the resolutions to all members at least 4 weeks prior to the General Body Meeting.
The resolution will be considered first by the Council, before presenting in the General Body Meeting.
The Secretary will then place the same before the General Body along with the recommendations of the Council.
The President will put the resolution to vote in case no consensus is reached on the resolution after sufficient discussion.

Voting on matters at the General Body meetings shall ordinarily be by voice vote.
In the event of disagreement about the outcome of the voice vote, the President shall call for votes by a show of hands, or a physical count taken after the members take sides on either side of an aisle to represent the group of “Ayes” and the group of “Nays” distinctly.
The President shall not normally cast a vote, and shall use the casting vote only to resolve a deadlock or tie on numbers.

Elections will be held during the Annual General Meeting. The Secretary shall circulate the list of vacant posts and call for nominations at least five months prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.

Voting on matters at the General Body meetings shall ordinarily be by voice vote.
In the event of disagreement about the outcome of the voice vote, the President shall call for votes by a show of hands, or a physical count taken after the members take sides on either side of an aisle to represent the group of “Ayes” and the group of “Nays” distinctly.
The President shall not normally cast a vote, and shall use the casting vote only to resolve a deadlock or tie on numbers.

Nominations

Nominations shall be submitted in the prescribed format circulated on behalf of the Association by the Secretary.
Each nomination must be proposed by two Full Members in good standing, and seconded by another two Full Members in good standing.
The candidate shall be solely responsible for any infirmity or accuracy in the details furnished in the nomination form.
The mandatory declaration form duly signed by the candidate must accompany nominations.
Nominations must reach the Secretary before 5 p.m. on the last date for filing nominations as announced in the election notice.
Nominations shall close twelve weeks before the date of commencement of the Annual General meeting; any nominations received after that time shall not be accepted.
Nomination forms that are incomplete in any respect shall be rejected after scrutiny.
Nominations not submitted in the prescribed form shall be rejected.
No change in deadline dates shall be permitted even when the delay in the nomination form reaching the Returning Officer due to postal delays, poor courier delivery service or force majeure events. A candidate is expected to take all these possibilities into consideration and ensure that the nomination form is despatched well in time.
A member can contest only for one post at a time.
A member can propose or second only one name per post.
A member contesting for a post may propose or second another member for any post other than the one being contested by the proposing/seconding member.

Returning Officer, Scrutiny of Nominations, Withdrawal of Candidature & Conduct of elections

One of the Past Presidents of the Association in good standing, nominated by the Executive Council, shall be the Returning Officer for the elections
All nominations for various posts shall be sent directly to the returning officer.
The Scrutiny of nominations shall take place within 48 hours of the time for closure of nominations.
The Returning Officer shall scrutinise the nomination papers, verify the accuracy of the information provided in respect of the membership status of the candidate, the proposer and the seconder, and then accept all papers that are in order.
The Returning Officer shall reject any incomplete, inaccurate or inappropriate nomination. This rejection shall be conveyed after scrutiny of all nomination forms to the candidate by the Returning Officer in writing, along with the reasons for the rejection.
The Returning Officer is not authorised to communicate any infirmity or error in the nomination papers to a candidate under any circumstances. It is expected that candidates shall have exercised all care while submitting their nomination forms, and shall bear the responsibility for any infirmity or error in their forms.
No plea for rectification of any infirmity or error shall be entertained after last date for submission of nominations.
The Returning Officer shall convey to the Secretary the list of valid nominations within one week after the last date for the submission of nominations.
After (vii) above, the Secretary shall publish a list of candidates whose nominations have been found to be in order, within one week from the date on which he gets communication from the Returning Officer
Candidates who have submitted valid nominations but wish to withdraw from the contest may do so in writing to the Returning Officer, conveying their decision to withdraw from the contest.
This shall be done before 5.00 p.m. on a working day at least two weeks before the date of the elections.
The Returning Officer shall immediately inform the Secretary of such withdrawal, and follow it up with a written communication within 24 hours.
The Secretary shall circulate the Final list of candidates, and the post they are contesting for, to members, two working days from the last date of withdrawal of nominations
The Returning Officer may utilise the assistance of senior members of the Association, who are not candidates and have no personal interest in any candidate, whenever it is necessary for the smooth and efficient conduct of the election process.
Each contestant may nominate, in writing, ONE full member of the Association to be his/her representative to oversee the process of polling & counting on his/her behalf. Such a nomination shall be made at least twentyfour hours before the time notified for commencement of the elections.

Canvassing

Canvassing through circulation of pamphlets, display of posters, shouting of slogans, circulation of mass E-mails through mass-mailing services, circulation of bulk SMS messages, circulation of bulk WhatsApp or other messaging applications (like Telegram, Textra, MySMS, Viber, etc.), and on social networks like Facebook & Twitter is prohibited. Engaging in soliciting votes through any of the above platforms shall disqualify a contestant.
Cognisance of canvassing may be taken suo motu by the Returning Officer or on a specific complaint lodged by any member of the Association.
The principles of natural justice shall be applied in considering disqualification, and the Council shall ratify the disqualification before it is applied.
In case of any member attracting such disqualification, and the same being ratified by the Council, the disqualification shall be personally conveyed to the candidate by the Returning Officer and the Secretary through appropriate communication.

Retirement from Contest

No retirement will be permitted after the final list of candidates has been published.

Ballot

The ballots may be electronic or physical depending on the decision of the Council and availability of facilities for electronic voting at the venue of the Conference, connectivity, etc.
In the case of physical ballot, the official ballot paper shall be prepared by the Returning Officer, checked for accuracy and bear his signature and seal.
Ballots shall not be numbered or carry any other information that may provide for traceability of the voter.
The procedure for electronic voting may be decided by the Council and preferably include on-site and off-site facilities

Casting of Vote

In the case of electronic ballots, votes shall be cast in the manner indicated in the procedure for voting.
Details of the procedure for electronic voting shall be available on the website of the Association for members to refer to, and download if necessary.
In the case of physical ballot, the Returning Officer with the help of members of the Council shall prepare booths that provide privacy and ballot boxes that are sealed in the presence of the candidates.
A sufficient number of booths and ballot boxes shall be provided to facilitate smooth voting.
One Council member from each of the States shall be seated at a table with the list of eligible voters.
Voting shall commence at the time fixed for commencement of the voting process, and cease exactly at the time announced for conclusion of the voting process.
Voters shall present themselves to their respective State representatives who shall verify their membership status, and obtain their signatures on the list of voters.
A suitable mark shall be made on a pre-determined finger over the nail bed, and the ballot paper handed over to the voter.
The voter shall mark the choice (s) in the privacy of the booths, and carry the folded paper to the ballot boxes and drop it into the box.
Only one choice shall be marked for each post.
If more than one choice has been marked for any post, the vote cast for that post shall be considered invalid.
When the time announced for the closing of voting is reached, no further verification of voters shall be carried out; however, those voters who have finished the verification process and are waiting to receive the ballot paper shall be allowed to complete the process of casting their vote.
In matters of the time for commencement of voting and conclusion of voting the decision of the Returning Officer shall be final and binding.

Counting of Votes

In the case of electronic voting, counting of votes and tabulation of results shall be done as soon as the time for voting is completed, and the end of polling time announced by the Returning Officer.
In the case of physical ballots, counting of votes shall begin as soon as the polling area is cleared of voters and unconnected individuals.
The ballot boxes will be opened in the presence of the candidates, or their authorised representative duly nominated as per procedure prescribed earlier, and the ballot papers mixed into one lot.
No person other than the Returning Officer and designated members assisting the Returning Officer shall be present at the time of counting.
The candidates may observe the counting from a reasonable distance without inconveniencing the counting party in any way.
The counting of votes shall proceed as a continuous process.
All counted votes shall carry a distinct mark to indicate they have been counted.
Invalid votes shall be separated after marking in order to facilitate recording the number of such votes.
Neither the Returning Officer nor the members of the counting team shall disclose the results, the number of votes polled by individual candidates or any other detail to anybody at any time after elections

Announcement of Results

After obtaining the tally, the Returning Officer shall place all the ballot papers cast in a box, and seal the same in presence of the candidates or their duly nominated representatives to ensure sanctity and confidentiality of the election process.
The final tally of each candidate contesting for each of the posts shall be verified to the satisfaction of all members of the counting team and recorded. The Returning Officer shall obtain the signatures of the members participating in the counting on the final tally sheet.
The Returning officer shall convey the name of the successful candidate against each post in writing to the President for entering in the official records
The votes polled by the candidates shall not be disclosed in this written document handed over to the President
The President may announce the list of elected candidates during the course of the General Body Meeting at the appropriate time, or may request the Returning Officer to announce the names of the elected candidates.

Retention of Ballots Cast

In the case of electronic voting, the raw data shall be encrypted and retained on the server for a period of one month from the time of conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.
The database shall be securely deleted after this period on the receipt of permission from the Returning Officer to do so.
The ballot papers cast in the election shall remain in the custody of the Returning Officer in a sealed box for one week from the date of the General Body Meeting.
At the end of this period, the Returning Officer shall shred the ballot papers in order to avoid any leakage of the same.
On completion of the shredding process, the Returning Officer shall convey information of the same having been completed in writing to the Secretary .

Challenge to the Outcome of the elections & Recount of Ballots

Challenge to the results in the case of electronic voting shall not be maintained as the scope for human error in counting is non-existent.
Challenges will only be entertained in the case of physical ballots.
Any aggrieved candidate may challenge the results in writing before 10 p.m. on the day the results are announced
If such a challenge is laid, the votes cast for the specific post that the challenger contested for shall be recounted in the same fashion as was done for the original counting but in the presence of all the candidates contested for that post, or their duly nominated representatives, in order to ensure transparency and finality.
The Returning Officer shall obtain the signatures of all the candidates on the result sheet of the recount, and hand the same over to the Secretary.
The returning officer shall convey the outcome of this recount in writing to the President.
In the event the outcome of the election has changed after the recount, the President shall announce the new outcome prior to the commencement of the plenary sessions the next day.

Amendments to the rules and bylaws may be proposed either by the Council of the Association, or by individual members.
Where the Council proposes such amendments, the proposal shall be accompanied by a resolution of the Council containing the precise wording of the proposed amendment, the Section, Clause & Sub-clause it is applicable to, the wording of the existing clause and the reasons for proposing the change.
Where it is for insertion of a new rule, the Section or Section and Clause under which it is to be inserted must be indicated.
Where an individual member proposes such amendments, the proposal shall be seconded by at least 5 other Full Members of the Association
The proposal shall contain the precise wording of the proposed amendment, the Section, Clause & Sub-clause it is applicable to, the wording of the existing clause and the reasons for proposing the change.
In either case, the amendment shall be submitted to the Secretary at least six weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting.
The Secretary shall circulate the same to all members at least four weeks prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.
The proposal shall be included in the Agenda of Annual General Meeting in the form of a Resolution duly proposed and seconded
No alternate amendments shall be proposed in respect of the proposed amendment, except minor modifications to remove ambiguity or provide clarity.
Amendments shall not be entertained at any time after the stipulated period
Amendments proposed shall be considered clause by clause.
If there is consensus on the amendment, the same may be accepted as unanimously adopted.
If no consensus is reached after a reasonable time for discussion, the President will put the amendments) to vote.
For the amendment to be carried, not less than three-fourth of the Full members present should vote in favour of the amendment; in the event of the number turning out to be a fraction below the three-fourths figure, the nearest integer shall be determined by the casting vote of the President.

A proposal for dissolution of the Association shall be brought through a resolution signed by not less than three-fourth of the Full members on the rolls of the society at the time the proposal is raised.
The resolution shall be discussed at a General Body Meeting convened specially for this purpose.
The resolution for dissolution shall be carried in the event of not less than threefourth of the Full members present vote in favour of dissolution.
Upon such a resolution being adopted, the Association shall stand dissolved forthwith, and a liquidator appointed to settle assets and liabilities.
All steps shall be taken to discharge all verified claims and liabilities on the books of accounts of the Association.
If residual assets remain after all liabilities have been discharged, they shall be transferred to an Institution or Institutions having similar objectives; the Institution(s) that the assets will go to shall also be determined (at the meeting that effects the dissolution) by not less than three-fourth of the Full members present.
In all of these, the Association shall comply with the laws and regulations of the in force at the time.

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