RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Membership
   There shall be the following categories:-
   
   1. Member
   2. Associates
   3. Overseas Members and
   4. Honorary Members.
2. Members and Overseas Members
   
   Shall be registered medical practitioners of consultant or equivalent status who have produced evidence of providing sufficient achievement in hand surgery and persons in allied medical branches whose major interest and practice is in surgery and/or rehabilitation of the hand.
3. HONORARY MEMBERS
   
   Shall be distinguished Surgeons or persons whose merit is esteemed by the Society.
4. ASSOCIATES
   
   Shall be medical practitioners interested in hand surgery and registered in the country where they practice.
5. Annually the Composition of membership will be reviewed by the Council.
6. ELECTION OF MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES
   
   Application for membership should be proposed and seconded respectively by the current members and sent to the Honorary Secretary for consideration by the Council. The approved names will be submitted to the General Meeting for election and a majority vote of 2/3 of the members present will be required.
7. Associate members shall be elected in a similar way.
8. The Honorary members will be nominated by the Council, and the names will be placed before the Society for election by the unanimous vote of the members present.
9. The Council shall be empowered to elect corresponding members from among the overseas members.
10. The Council shall have full discretion to refuse membership without assigning reasons for doing so and the decision shall be final.
11. The officers of the Society shall be the President, the Vice President (who shall be President-Elect) the Honorary Secretary cum Honorary Treasurer and the Honorary Editor.
12. The nominations of the Officers will be made by the Council from amongst the members and shall be offered for election at the next Annual Meeting.
13. The President and Vice President shall hold post for two years commencing on 1st January next following election. The other officers shall hold post for three years commencing on the 1st January next following election.
14. All the officers except President and Vice President will be eligible for re-election.
15. The President shall preside at the General Meeting or in the absence of the President, the Vice-President, or if unavailable, any other member of the Council shall be elected ad hoc. to preside at the term.
16. The Vice-President shall officiate for the President in his absence. If the President ceases to hold the office during the term, the Vice-President will become President for the remaining of the term.
17. The Honorary Secretary cum Honorary Treasurer shall issue and receive notices and deal with matters connected with the convening and proceedings of the General and any extra ordinary General meeting and those of the Council. He shall carry on correspondence and provide information about the work of the Society, travel and take all such other steps as well as promote the Aims and Objects of the Society.
18. Subject to the overall control of the Council, the Honorary Secretary cum Honorary Treasurer shall exercise supervision over the financial transactions of the Society and in particular ensure the maintenance of full accounts of the receipts and disbursements of funds there of, the collection of subscriptions and maintenance of up-to-date registers, the issue in proper form and time of the Annual Audited Statement of Accounts and other necessary statements, and take all other steps for the good and efficient management of the funds, assests and properties, if any, of the Society, the Honorary Treasurer shall also assist in the collection of funds for the Society.
19. The Editor shall collect proceedings of the Society and this should be called HASTA, Journal of the Indian Society for surgery of the hand. It will be circulated amongst all members and associates and to other persons as the cuncil may direct.

THE COUNCIL
20. The Society's executive body shall be called the Council. It shall consist of the President, the Honorary Secretary cum Honorary Treasurer, the Honorary Editor and six other members. The immediate past President shall be an exofficio member of the Council. The members of the council will be elected from the members of the Society. The nominations shall be proposed and seconded by two current members and should reach the Honorary Secretary before the end of July. The full list of nominations found to be in order shall be circulated to all members along with the Agenda at least 21 days before meeting.
21. Only those members who have previously been at least one full term on the Council shall be eligible for the post of Vice-President except in the case of the first election.
22. The Council shall have power to fill any vacancy that may occur between elections by postal circulation from the members of the Society. The person appointed will hold the office at the Council meeting shall consist of five members including Secretary and the President or Vice President.
23. The other members of the Council shall hold office for two years commencing on the Ist January next following the Annual General Meeting of their election.
24. The Council shall manage and supervise the properties of the Society and spend money as may be required for the attainment of its objects.
25. It shall prepare and submit to the General Body at the General Meeting for purposes of adoption, its annual audited accounts for its preceeding financial years/s within the period of six months next following the closure of the last proceeding financial year of the Society.
26. It shall pay all rates, rents, taxes and salaries and remuneration to the employees of the Society; and also fix, collect, increase of decrease the rents of any of the properties of the Society.
27. It shall acquire in the name of the Society of or in the names of the Council by gift, exchange, lease, on hire or otherwise howsoever any lands, buildings, casements, rights of common or privileges for the purpose of the society.
28. It shall borrow or raise money which may be required for the purpose of the Society upon bonds, debentures promissory notes by the Creation of a mortgage or charge on the property of the Society subject to the sanction of the General Body, negotiate or enter into contracts on behalf of the Society and vary or rescind such contracts.
29. It shall do all such acts, deeds, and things, as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above powers or any one or more of them and the objects herein specified.

GENERAL MEETING
30. A General Meeting of the Society shall be called of those entitled to attend and vote, ordinarily at the time of the annual meeting but in no case at intervals longer then 30 months.
    Members and Overseas members will be entitled. to vote. Honorary Members and Associates shall not have a vote.
    The quorum for the General Meeting shall be one third of the total number of members present.
    
    The following business shall be transacted at the General Meeting, namely:-
    To adopt the Report of the Council for the past term.
    To adopt the Annual Audited Statements of Accountants for two years.
    To elect the Office-Bearers and members of the Council for ensuing term.
    To appoint the auditors and fix their remuneration for the ensuing term.
    To consider any other business with approval of the Chair which due notice is given to Council at least four weeks before the date of the General Meeting.
    The ruling given by the Chair on all questions of procedure shall be final. On other questions, the members present shall have the power to decide by vote, taken by ballot if demanded by at least three members. The chairman shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.

NOTICE AND AGENDA
31. Six clear weeks notice of the General Meeting shall be given to all those entitled to receive it.
    Items for the Agenda of the General Meeting shall be submitted in the form of Resolution in writing, and shall reach the Honorary Secretary at Headquarters four weeks before the date of the meeting, and if they do not contravene any provision of this Costitution they shall be placed on the Agenda of the General Meeting.
    The Agenda of the meeting shall be circulated to all those entitled to receive it fifteen days before the date of the meeting.
    The above communications mentioned shall be issued under Certificate of Posting. Non-Receipt of either or both of them by a member entitled to receive them, their absolutely or at the proper time shall not in any way invalidate the meeting or decisions taken thereof.

EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
32. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called whenever deemed necessary by the Council, or at the written requisition of one-third of those entitled to attend and vote at such a meeting stating the purpose for which it is to be called. Such a requisition shall first be considered by the Council and if it does not contravene any provision of this Constitution, the Council shall direct that such meeting be convened.
33. All those entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting shall be entitled to attend and vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
34. The quorum for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be the same as for a General Meeting.
35. All those entitled to attend and vote at it shall receive, under Certificate of posting, two weeks notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting, provided that non-receipt if such notice by a member entitled to receive it, earlier absolutely or at the proper time shall not in any way invalidate the meeting or the decisions taken there at.

AMENDMENTS IN THE CONSTITUTION AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OR BY-LAWS
36. Any additions, alterations or omissions in the Rules and Regulations of the Society or its By-laws shall be effected by a Resolution passed by two third of the members present in person and entitled to vote at a Meeting of the Council. So far as concern the alterations, extensions or abridgements in the purposes of the Society the provisions of Sections 12 of the Societies Registration Act (XXXI of 1860) shall apply.

SUBSCRIPTION
37. The annual subscription will be Rs.100/- (Life membership Rs.1500) for Members, Rs.30 for Associate Members, which includes payment for publications. It will be payable in advance and due on 1st January of every year. (Amendment : Presently the only type of membership available is Life Membership at Rs. 3000/- and members have to pay Rs. 1500 towards Corpus Fund)
38. A number who has not paid subscription for last 12 months inspite of being duly informed, will cease to be a member of the Society, An application forwarded with payments of arrears after the consent of Council will be required for reinstatement.
39. The financial year of the Society will end on 31st March.
40. The cheques will be signed by the HONORARY Treasurer cum Honorary secretary or any of the officers in his absences, approved by the council.

CLINICAL MEETING
41. The Clinical Meeting shall be held twice a year. The time and place will be decided by the vote of the majority at he General Meetings but the Council will have power to alter these arrangements.
42. The Council shall have the right after giving due notice in writing and if so requested within a period of one month, after hearing the member in question, to expel any member who may act in any way prejudicially to the interest of the Society or whose membership may, in the opinion of the appropriate Committee, prove embarrassing or undesirable provided that no membership shall be withdrawn and no member shall be expelled unless the decision is by a majority of 2/3 of the members present and voting at the meeting of the Council.
43. If on the winding up or dissolution of the Society there remain after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property or assets of any kind whatsoever, that same shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society or any of them, but the said property or assets may be disposed of by transfer to other like non-profit making agencies willing to carry out the purposes for which the property or assets were originally acquired, or in accordance with the directives of the court on application being made to it by the Society.