Constitution and By-Laws

Office of the Vascular Society of India, Dept. of Vascular Surgery, Government General Hospital

North Madras, Madras, India

6th August, 1994. Registered on: 30 January, 1995.

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

1. To encourage and advance the study and practice of the science and art of vascular surgery.
2. To promote interaction among vascular surgeons and allied specialists in India and abroad
3. To encourage scientific research and experimental work on vascular disease.
4. To organize scientific programmes such as conferences and workshops.
5. To be a resource for continuing medical education programmes, audiovisual materials, etc. related to vascular surgery.
6. To establish and maintain reference libraries of books, magazines, newspapers, audiovisual materials, etc. related to vascular surgery.
7. To publish a journal devoted to vascular surgery and allied subjects. The journal shall be the official organ of the Vascular Society of India.
8. To arrange and conduct examinations, and to award certificates and prizes on subjects related to the science and art of vascular surgery.
9. To make rules, when deemed necessary, relating to the discipline and professional conduct of vascular surgeons in India.
10. To do anything else that may be conducive to the attainment of any or all of the above objectives.

The Society shall sue or be sued in the name of President or Secretary.

The President is empowered to give direction regarding the business of the Society.

Membership decisions lie with the Society’s Executive Committee. Individuals may make an appeal to the General Body. The membership of the Society has four categories.

1. Full Member: A medical practitioner registered in India under the I.M.C Act 1956 who practices vascular surgery or is otherwise engaged in surgical work, such as teaching or research, and who holds a postgraduate qualification in surgery, including its specialties, is eligible for full membership. He or she may belong to one of two categories:
   1. Founding Member: Member who joined the Society at the time of formation by paying Rs. 1500.
   2. Life Member: Member who has paid a life subscription of Rs. 2000.
2. Associate Member: Individual registered in India under the I.M.C. Act 1956 who is engaged in the practice of medicine ancillary to vascular surgery. A postgraduate student in surgery may be advanced to full membership after becoming eligible for the same.
3. Honorary Member: An individual considered suitable and desirable by the General Body may be enrolled as an Honorary Member.
4. Overseas Member: A medical practitioner registered in a country outside of India who practices the science and art of vascular surgery is eligible for membership in this category. He or she should hold postgraduate qualifications in surgery, including its specialties, and may be a Life Member.

The transaction of business shall be carried through the Executive Committee.

The administration of the Society is vested in the Executive Committee which consists of seven members: One President, one Secretary, one Treasurer, and five Executive Committee Members. (At the Annual General Meeting, Bombay, 1995, the number of Executive Committee Members was increased to five to include one member from each region of India.)

1. The above members are elected by the General Body at the Annual General Meeting.
2. The term of office is two years.
3. The Executive Committee shall hold a meeting once every six months.
4. Notice for the Executive Committee Meeting shall be issued at least seven days prior to the meeting. Quorum for the meeting shall be one-fourth of the members.

1. President
   1. Heads the Society.
   2. Presides over the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Body.
   3. Acts as Chairman of the Executive Committee.
2. Secretary
   1. Responsible for all correspondence on behalf of the Society.
   2. Issues notices for meetings and records the minutes of the meetings.
   3. Performs other duties entrusted to him or her by the President and the Executive Committee.
3. Treasurer
   1. Maintains account books, vouchers, receipt books, and similar records.
   2. Issues receipts for all sums received.
   3. Prepares a statement of the Society’s annual income and expenditures for approval by the Executive Committee. Cheques or other negotiable instruments shall be jointly signed by Treasurer and either the Secretary or the President.

1. Carries out general policies laid down by the General Body.
2. Considers and recommends reports, statements of audited accounts, and budget estimates for adoption and approval of the General Body.
3. Makes decisions subject to the General Body.
4. Frames rules consistent with the Bylaws for the smooth, efficient, and disciplined operation of the Society.

Returns, registers, records, and statements that must be filed shall be prepared and filed by the Treasurer.

1. The financial year of the Society shall run from April to March.
2. The Society shall maintain the register of the accounts of members free of charge.
3. Qualified auditor(s) to audit the accounts of the ensuing year will be appointed at the Annual General Meeting. Remuneration will be fixed by the General Body.

Photocopies of the Bylaws, income and expenditure statements, and balance sheets will be given to members on demand at the cost of Rs. 1 per page for each document.

No funds will be earmarked for the dependents of deceased or disabled members of the Society.

Members found guilty of violating the Bylaws of the Society or the rules framed by the Executive Committee will be removed from the Society by a resolution passed by the majority of the members of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee has the power to appoint staff for the executive work of the Society and to frame the service rules for this staff.

1. The Annual General Meeting will be held within six months of the end of the financial year (i.e., by the end of September). It will be held during the annual conference of the VSI
2. The following business will be addressed in the above meeting :
   1. Election of members of the Executive Committee (once every two years).
   2. Appointment of an auditor(s) for the ensuing financial year.
   3. Consideration and adoption of the audited statements of accounts for the preceding year. *Passing the budget of the Society for the ensuing year.
   4. Consideration of any other resolutions from the members received at least three weeks before the meeting.
3. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members at least 21 days before the meeting. The notice shall contain the day, hour, and place and the object of the meeting. If there is a proposed Bylaws amendment, a copy of the amendement shall be provided to each member through local delivery, post, circulation by the members, or through publication.
4. The Executive Committee may call an Extraordinary General Meeting with 21 days notice.
5. A quorum of all General Meetings is one-fourth of the total members.

A Special Resolution is a resolution passed by a majority of not fewer than three-fourths of the General Body who is entitled to vote and who is present at the Annual General Meeting. Special Resolutions may:

1. Amend the Bylaws of the Society
2. Amend objects relating to a memorandum
3. Change the name of the Society
4. Amalgamate the Society
5. Divide the Society into two or more societies
6. Dissolve the Society

The Members’ Register, Minutes Book, and Books of Accounts shall be kept at the registered office of the Society for inspection by its members. A request to inspect these Registers is free and should be made in writing to the Secretary.

1. All new members except Honorary Members shall pay an entrance fee as decided by the General Body.
2. Full Members (Life), Associate Members (Life), Associate Members, and Overseas Members (Life) will pay subscriptions at the rates decided by the General Body.
3. Honorary Members do not have not to pay a subscription.
4. From 1st January, 1995, the rates will be :
   1. Full and Associate Members: Rs. 2000
   2. Overseas Member: US $500 or equivalent

Funds shall be invested in a government bank(s) decided on by the Executive Committee. Accounts shall be operated jointly by the Treasurer, Secretary, and President.

If the required quorum is not present at a meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned until the next week of the same day.

If a committee member or a member of the Executive Committee misses consecutive meetings without submitting a written request, he or she will be disqualified from membership

1. A member who does not take interest in the activities or the affairs of the Society may be removed from membership
2. The aggrieved individual may appeal to the General Body. The decision of the General Body is final and binding on all.

The Society may call for a Special Resolution to dissolve the Society. If after dissolution and after all debts and liabilities have been settled there are funds remaining, these funds shall be given to another registered society that has similar objectives to VSI, as determined by the Society. The Society shall stand dissolved as per procedures laid in Section (41) & (42) of the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act 27 of 1975.

The following Amendments to the Bylaws were discussed in a General Body Meeting in 1997, Bangalore, and received an unanimous vote:

1. 1. Any amendment to the Bylaws shall be carried out only with the approval of the Director of Income Tax (Exemption), Chennai.
   2. The activities of the Society shall be confined to the territory of India.
   3. The activities shall be purely charitable in nature and not motivated for profit.
   4. The funds of the Society shall be utilized only for its objectives. No portion shall be distributed in any manner to the trustees or any person defined in section 13 (1) (c) of the Income Tax Act 1961.
   5. The funds of the Society shall be invested as per section 11 (5) of the Income Tax Act 1975. f) No alienation of any movable property shall be done without the prior approval of the Director of Income Tax (Exemption), Chennai.
2. 1. The post of President-Elect will be for two years. At the end of the second year, he or she will become the President of the Society.
   2. The category of Annual Membership will be dissolved.
   3. Associate Members do not have voting rights and cannot contest elections.
   4. Honorary members do not have voting rights and cannot contest elections.
   5. All new applicants are to be scrutinized by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Body before admission as members.
   6. Elections are to be held during the Annual General Meeting held during the annual conference. Only those who attend the conference can vote in the election. Postal balloting is not allowed.
   7. The past President will not be eligible to stand for re-election to any office of the Society.
   8. The immediate past President will be made an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee for one term.
   9. The Secretary and Treasurer and other members of the Executive Committee will be elected at the General Body Meeting. They will hold office for two years, after which they will be eligible for re-election for one more term.
   10. Every nomination should have the written consent of the candidate to contest the election duly proposed and seconded by life members
   11. An individual is allowed to hold only one post.
   12. The election will be held by secret ballot and conducted by a returning officer appointed by the General Body.
   13. Office bearers shall cease to hold office:
       1. When the period of their term is over.
       2. By a resolution the General Body, decided by a three-fourths majority of the members present and voting, that the office bearer be removed from office.
   14. In the event of a sudden cancellation of a conference due to an extraordinary situation, or in the event the Annual General Meeting is dismissed due to lack of a quorum, the resigning Executive Committee will continue to be responsible for the Society until the next conference or General Body Meeting.
   15. The Annual Conference:
       1. Should be conducted in the month of November.
       2. The Organizing Committee can get a seed money from the VSI to begin conference planning. The amount will be decided by the Executive Committee.
       3. The Organizing Committee should return any excess funds to the Society after the the conference.
       4. The audited accounts of the conference income and expenditures should be submitted to the Treasurer within four months after the conference.
       5. The Organizing Committee should consult and follow the Executive Committee’s conference guidelines.