An association or a federation should be formed under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
k Under Section 1 of the Act, any seven or more persons who have come together for any legal pursuits, including literary, scientific, charitable or social pursuits, may subscribe their names to a memorandum of association and file the same with the Registrar and form themselves into a society under this Act.
The memorandum of association filed with the Registrar should contain details such as the name and objectives of the society, names, addresses and occupations of the members of the governing body with which the management of the affairs of the society is entrusted.
A copy of the rules and regulations of the society should be provided.
k With the completion of these processes, the society could be registered with the Registrar after payment of a fee, which will be specified by the State Government from time to time. At present, the fee ranges between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000.
As per Section 4 of the Act, once in every year, an annual general meeting of the society should be conducted.
If the rules do not provide for an annual general meeting, a list of the names, addresses and occupations of the members of the governing body should be presented to the Registrar, every year.
How to dissolve an association/ federation: Any number not less than three-fifths of the members of any society may determine that it shall be dissolved. At the time of dissolution, all necessary steps should be taken for disposal and settlement of the society’s property.
Advantage of registering an association/federation: By virtue of being a registered body, it can file cases relating to civic issues with the Madras High Court.
Compiled by D. Madhavan
