ERNAKULAM PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY
Registered under the Travancore Cochin Literary Scientific and Charitable Societies (Registration) Act, 1955.
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
1. Name
Name of the society shall be “Ernakulam Psychiatric Society “
2. Aims and Objectives
- To promote and advance the subject of Psychiatry and allied sciences in all their different branches.
- To promote the improvement of mental health of the people and mental health education.
- To promote prevention, control, treatment and relief of all psychiatric disabilities.
- To promote research in the field of psychiatry and mental health.
- To propagate the principles of psychiatry and current developments in psychiatric thought.
- To promote ethical standards in the practice of psychiatry.
- To safeguard the interest of psychiatrists and the fellow professionals.
- To institute maintain and grant, prizes, certificates, awards and endowments in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the society.
- To publish, sell, or otherwise distribute information, in any form, including in the form of periodicals, journals, books, monographs, treatises or pamphlets in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the society.
- To hold conferences and periodic scientific meetings in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the society.
- To associate with any other organisation or to undertake any activities in furtherance of any of the above objectives.
RULES
Chapter 1
Preliminary
1. Title
These Rules shall be called the "Rules of the Ernakulam Psychiatric Society".
2. Definitions
In these Rules, unless the contact otherwise require.
- 'the Society' means the Ernakulam Psychiatric Society'
- 'the Bye Laws' means the Bye Laws framed under R. 18 of this Rules.
- 'Committee' means the Executive Committee of the society, constituted under R.14 of these Rules.
- 'Prescribed’ means prescribed under the byelaws.
- ‘AMGB’ means Annual Meeting of the General Body of the society.
- Whenever the pronoun ‘he’ is used, it shall also mean ‘she’.
3. Area of Operation
The area of operation of the society shall comprise of Ernakulam and ldukki districts of the State of Kerala.
4. Registered Office
The Registered office of the Society shall be at Building No.37/2701 H3, 8th Floor, IMA House, JN International Stadium Link Road, Palarivattom P. O., Cochin - 682025.
5. Aims and Objectives
Aims and Objectives of the society shall be
- To promote and advance the subject of Psychiatry and allied sciences in all their different branches.
- To promote the improvement of mental health of the people and mental health education.
- To promote prevention, control, treatment and relief of all psychiatric disabilities.
- To promote research in the field of psychiatry and mental health.
- To propagate the principles of psychiatry and current developments in psychiatric thought.
- To promote ethical standards in the practice of psychiatry.
- To safeguard the interest of psychiatrists and the fellow professionals.
- To institute maintain and grant, prizes, certificates, awards and endowments in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the society.
- To publish, sell or otherwise distribute information, in any form, including in the form of periodicals, journals, books, monographs, treatises or pamphlets in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the society.
- To hold conferences and periodic scientific meetings in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the society.
- To associate with any other organisation or to undertake any activities in furtherance of any of the above objectives.
CHAPTER 2
MEMBERSHIP
6. Eligibility
Any person with a post graduate qualification in Psychiatry or any member of the Indian Psychiatric Society, who is a resident or working in either Ernakulam or Idukki district shall be eligible to become a member of the society.
7. Membership
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The applications for membership to the society shall be kept before the committee and no person shall be admitted as a member unless the committee accepts his application.
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The membership of any person can be revoked by the General Body of the Society.
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The Executive Committee may suspend the membership of a person if he is found to be otherwise ineligible or obtained the membership with false declarations or acted against the interest of the society after giving 15 days’ notice and an opportunity of being heard.
Provided that such suspension of membership shall not continue beyond the next general body meeting, unless ratified by the General Body.
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Annual Membership subscription shall be the amount as decided by the Executive Committee. The same will be due on 1st April of every year. Members joining midway shall pay the full amount of the membership fee for theremaining period of the year.
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Members of the Society who do not pay the annual membership fee before the 30th June of each year will without any notice be removed from membership and will be reinstated to the membership by the Executive Committee only after the payment of dues along with penal charges as decided by the Executive Committee.
8. Rights and Duties of Members
- The Members will have the right to participate in any of the activities of the Society.
- The Members will be duty bound to further the aims and objectives of the Society.
- The Members will have such other rights and duties as conferred on them by the Bye Laws.
CHAPTER 3
GENERAL BODY
9. Constitution
The General Body of the Society shall be constituted of all the members on the Rolls of the Society.
10. Decision of the General Body
The decisions of the General Body shall be the decision of the majority of the members present and voting, unless otherwise provided. The majority can be decided by a show of hands of the members present. The President of the society shall have the power to exercise a casting vote in the event of a tie.
11. Power of the General Body
The General Body may
- Amend the Memorandum or these Rules or Bye Laws made under R.18 of these Rules
- Elect the office bearers and members to the Committee.
- Take any decision in furtherance of the Aims and Objectives of the Society
- Exercise any powers vested on the General Body by these Rules or Byelaws or any law in force.
12. Annual Meeting
- The quorum of the Annual Meeting of the General Body shall be 20% of the total number of members on the Rolls, or fifteen members, whichever is less. If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes of the stipulated time, the meeting shall be adjourned and then reconvened after 30 minutes. At the reconvened meeting, the members present, whatever their number may be, shall form the quorum and shall carry on the business.
- The Annual Meeting of the General Body shall be held at least once in a year before 30th September. The meeting may be conducted in video conferencing mode.
- Fifteen days’ notice containing agenda is required for calling the AMGB. The notice can be given to the e-mail address of the member registered with the society.
- The minutes of the meetings shall be prepared by the secretary and signed by the chairman of the meeting.
- Business to be transacted at the AMGB shall be taken up in the following order:
- Condolence resolutions
- Presidential remarks
- Confirmation of minutes of the preceding AMGB
- Reading and adoption of Secretary's report
- Adoption of audited accounts and auditors report thereon.
- Election of new Office-bearers & Committee members
- Appointment of auditor
- Any other resolutions
- Any other business with permission of the chair.
- Any member can propose resolutions to the Secretary at least 30 days before the AMGB and the Secretary shall circulate it among the members along with the notice of AMGB with the comments of the Executive Committee.
13. Extra Ordinary Meeting
- An Extra Ordinary Meeting of the General Body of the Society shall be called by the Secretary on requisition of the executive committee or 20% of the members of the society. The meeting may be conducted in video conferencing mode.
- There shall be a notice containing agenda of 10 days for calling an Extra Ordinary meeting and such notice shall specify the extra-ordinary circumstance under which such a meeting is called for. The notice can be given to the e-mail address of the member registered with the society.
- If the meeting is called on requisition of the Executive Committee, the quorum of the Extra Ordinary meeting of the General Body shall be 15% of the total number of members on the Rolls of the Society or fifteen members, whichever is less. If it is called on requisition of the members, quorum of the Extra Ordinary meeting shall be 25% of the total number of members on the Rolls of the Society provided that at least 80% of the members who requested for the meeting should be present at the meeting. If a quorum is not present within thirty minutes of the stipulated time, the meeting, if called by the Executive Committee, shall be adjourned, and then reconvened after 30 minutes. At the reconvened meeting, the members present, whatever their number may be, shall form the quorum and carry on the business. If the meeting was requested by members, it shall stand dissolved if a quorum is not present within thirty minutes of the stipulated time.
- Nothing except the business for which it has been called shall be discussed at the meeting.
- The minutes of the meetings shall be prepared by the secretary and signed by the chairman of the meeting.
CHAPTER 4
THE GOVERNING BODY
14. Constitution
- The Governing Body being the Executive Committee of the Society shall consist of the following
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Office bearers
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Joint Secretary and
- Treasurer
- Members
- the immediate past president
- the immediate past Secretary
- and five members elected by the General Body Provided that the General Body may elect as many members as necessary to fill up the vacancies caused in the committee due to the absence of immediate past President or immediate past Secretary, by virtue of their re-election or otherwise.
2. All the office bearers and members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the General Body of the Society in the AMGB except as provided in R. 17 of this Rules.
3.The term of the committee shall be from 1st November subsequent to the AMGB in which they are elected to 31st October of the next calendar year. Provided that the committee shall continue in office until the next committee is elected. It shall be mandatory for the committee to take steps for conduct of the elections at least a month before the proposed date of AMGB
4.The decision of the committee shall not be invalid for the reason of any vacancy in it.
15. Meetings
- The Committee shall meet at least once in every three months.
- The Quorum of the Committee meeting shall be five.
- The minutes of the meetings shall be prepared by the secretary and signed by the chairman of the meeting.
- The meeting may be conducted in video conferencing mode.
- 3 days’ notice is required for calling the Committee Meeting. The notice can be given to the e-mail address of the member registered with the society.
16. Decision
The decision of the committee shall be the decision of the majority. The President shall have the power to exercise a casting vote in the event of a tie.
17. Power and Functions of the Committee
The Committee shall be responsible and shall have the powers for
- Managing all the day to day affairs of the society.
- To appoint subcommittees whenever necessary.
- To carry out the decisions of the General Body.
- To organise programs on behalf of the Society.
- To fix or change the date of the AMGB under special circumstances.
- To elect as many members as necessary to fill up the vacancies caused in the Committee due to the absence of any office bearer and member during the course of a term. Such appointments will be valid only for the remaining period of the current term of the Committee.
- To appoint a member as the Returning officer for conducting fair election to the Executive Committee in the AMGB.
18. Bye Laws
- The Committee may, as it thinks fit, subject to the approval of the General Body, frame, amend or repeal bye laws, for the purpose of carrying out its responsibilities, and the smooth functioning of the society.
- The bye laws framed, amended or repealed under clause (1) by the Committee shall be void ab initio to the extent they are repugnant to these Rules.
- The byelaws framed, amended or repealed under clause (1) shall be laid before the General Body at the earliest opportunity for approval.
CHAPTER 5
OFFICE BEARERS
19. President
President shall have the following responsibilities and powers
- He shall preside over all the meetings of the committee and the General Body.
- He shall interpret these Rules, and the byelaws, in case of a dispute and his decision in this regard shall be final.
- He shall exercise such other powers as are vested by these Rules, or by the General Body.
- The vice-president shall perform all the duties of the President in his absence.
20. Secretary
Secretary shall have the following responsibilities and powers.
- He shall undertake the day-to-day administration of the society under the guidance of the President
- He shall be the custodian of all the records of the society, except the Accounts and shall be responsible for their proper and up-to-date maintenance.
- He shall carry out all the correspondence on behalf of the society.
- He shall call the meetings of the Executive Committee or Sub Committee and the General Body in accordance with the rules.
- He shall be responsible for filing statutory returns of the society with the Registrar of societies and other authorities. The Joint Secretary shall perform all the duties of the Secretary in his absence
21. The Treasurer
The Treasurer shall have the following responsibilities and powers.
- He shall be the custodian of the accounts and shall be responsible for the upto-date maintenance of the same.
- He shall be responsible for the management of the financial matters and shall advise the committee in the financial matters of the society.
- He shall submit accounts audited by a qualified Chartered Accountant appointed at the Annual Meeting of the General Body. Provided any casual vacancy in the office of the auditors due to the death, resignation, incapacity or any other reason can be filled in by the Executive Committee and such auditor appointed by the Executive Committee will hold office till the conclusion of next AMGB.
22. FINANCIAL MATTERS
- The Society can have Bank Accounts in banks, as decided by the committee which are operated jointly by the President, Secretary and the Treasurer.
- For financial purposes, the year of the Society shall be from 1st April to 31st March of the next calendar year.
CHAPTER 6
AMENDMENT
23. Amendment of the Memorandum or Rules or Bye Laws.
- Any amendment of these Memorandum or Rules shall be made only by the General Body and the decision to amend shall be considered as taken only if it is supported by two third of the members present and voting in the General Body.
- The proposed amendment shall be circulated along with the notice of the General Body meeting.
- Any member can propose amendments to these Memorandum or Rules or Bye Laws. Such proposed amendments seconded by another member shall be sent to the Secretary 30 days before the meeting of the General Body. The Secretary will place it before the Executive Committee and the proposal will be circulated to all the members along with the notice calling the meeting of the General Body with the comments of the Executive Committee.
CHAPTER 7
DISSOLUTION
24. Dissolution
The society may be dissolved by a resolution adopted by not less than 3/4th of the members on the rolls, in a General Body meeting convened for the purpose.
25. Vesting of Assets on Dissolution
In the event of dissolution or winding up of the society, the assets remaining as on the date of dissolution shall be vested on the Indian Psychiatric Society Cochin Local Branch or in its absence any other organisation with similar aims and objectives, or the Government of Kerala, as the General Body may decide.
