1. Objectives:

1.1 To promote and provide social, educational, and cultural programs which will enable people of Indian Heritage to understand Indian traditions.

1.2 To raise funds and to employ the funds of the Association in furthering the aims and objectives set out herein and for any other cause as may be deemed appropriate in enhancing the cause of the Indian Community

1.3 Bring together the Indian population in county Laois including its surrounding counties of the Republic of Ireland and also to work together with the community groups sharing the same ideologies to promote the cultural values of India.

1.4 To conduct humanitarian programmes whenever possible.

2. Membership:

2.1 Any Indian adult who is 18 years and above and residing in county Laois is eligible to take membership.

2.2 Shall sign a written consent to become a member.

2.3 The executive committee has all the rights to give the membership of the association to a new member

2.4 Membership of the ICCL is not transferable and shall cease:

• On the member’s death or bankrupt
• If the member resigns by serving notice in writing to the Executive committee

2.5 Rights of the Members:

• Attend the General Body Meetings.
• Enquire to the Executive Committee about the day-to-day activities of the association
• Cast Vote
• Know in writing about the executive committee decision and financial accounts.
• Know about various assistances and how to avail them.

2.6 It is mandatory to attend at least 3 major events of the year being an ICCL member.

3. Votes of Members:

3.1 Where a matter is being decided, every member present in person shall have one vote, but so that no individual member shall have more than one vote.

4. Matters Reserved to the General Meeting:

4.1 The Quorum for the meeting of the General body meetings is 50% for transactions of the business. However, in case of an Emergency, the members present will be considered to be a Quorum.

4.2 None of the following matters may be brought into effect unless the same shall have been approved at a general meeting of the Body:

• To make any alteration, addition, or amendment to these rules
• To wind up the Body
• To remove an Executive Member
• To appoint a new executive committee member
• To change the name of the Body.

5. Executive Committee:

5.1 The number of the Executive committee members shall be eleven including the President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

5.2 No remuneration shall be payable to any of the Executive committee Members in respect of his / her services.

5.3 The Executive committee shall keep minutes:

• Of the names of the committee members present at each meeting of the Executive
• Of all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the committee

5.4 Executive committee consists of the President, Secretary and Treasurer, and eight executive committee members which will be elected by the general body meeting.

5.5 Only ICCL members are entitled to be in the executive committee selected by the general body through an election.

5.6 The elected President, Secretary, Treasurer, and executive committee will serve only for a year.

5.7 Executive committee should be formed on Halloween weekend every year.

5.8 The member of the executive committee should not be a member of another association of the same nature.

5.9 The executive committee shall have the following powers which are exclusively subsidiary and ancillary to the Main Object and which powers may only be exercised in promoting the Main Object. Any income generated by the exercise of these powers is to be applied to the promotion of the Main Object:

• To solicit and procure and to accept and receive any donation of property of any nature and any devise, legacy or annuity, subscription, gift, contribution, or fund, including by means of payroll giving or other similar arrangements, and including (but so as not to restrict the generality of the foregoing) the holding of lotteries in accordance with the law for the purpose of promoting the Main object.
• To open one or more bank accounts and to draw, accept, make, endorse, discount, execute, issue, and negotiate bills of exchange, promissory notes, bills of lading, warrants, debentures, and other negotiable or transferable instruments.
• To do all such other lawful things as the Body may think incidental and conducive to the foregoing Main Object.

6. Responsibilities of the Executive committee:

Executive committee members are obliged to the general body in all respects. Members of the executive committee should have a collective responsibility and when working in the association and among the members.

6.1 President:

• Prime responsibilities include – to preside over the association meetings and prime signatory in the association decisions confirming its authenticity, to represent the association in the different arenas and walks of ICCL to lead responsibly the association.
• The president/secretary will be responsible and custodian for all the community activities on social media (Facebook and WhatsApp), the association website, and apps.

6.2 Secretary:

• To contemplate the activities of the association
• To be the custodian of the relevant documents of the association
• To work together with the committee members
• To write the minutes of the meetings, to prepare and present reports
• In the absence of the president, the secretary takes charge of the association.

6.3 Treasurer:

• The Treasurer will be the custodian of all movable and immovable assets
• To work together with the committee members
• Keeping records of income and expenditure
• To give suggestions regarding the financial matters of the association
• Should deposit ICCL money in the bank unless and until the treasurer has taken special permission from the executive committee
• To prepare receipts and vouchers, to give the auditor the relevant documents and books of accounts for auditing, to present monthly and yearly financial accounts in the committee and General body and to get it passed in the respective meeting.
• The treasurer must circulate the statements of account to the members at the end of every event/ programme.
• To hand over the accounts to the new Treasurer when the Office Bearer is being changed.

6.4 Committee members:

• To work together with the committee members
• Provide input on the strategic direction of the ICCL and wider issues that influences the objectives of ICCL.
• Every committee member must send their Availability / Apology for all committee meetings, and this will be recorded in the minutes.
• Rude Manner / Behaviour is completely unacceptable, both verbal and written. Be respectful to each other.
• All Committee members are requested to read the minutes in full before stating that they agree or disagree and should be within a reasonable time frame. Decisions of the committee shall stand.
• Expressing dissenting opinions after agreeing with the minutes of the meeting is inappropriate.
• As the ICCL Committee members are the elected representative of ICCL, the decisions made by the ICCL committee will be considered as ICCL decisions.
• AGM is the platform for all ICCL members to voice their concerns/ Agreements and disagreements.
• In the event of a disagreement within the committee the chairperson will seek for opinion votes and the majority will be counted as a decision. Once decisions are made everyone to respect and support that decision.
• Members of the executive committee should be mindful of confidentiality and conflict of interest.

7. Proceedings of the Executive:

7.1 The Executive may meet for the dispatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In case of an equality of votes, the chairperson shall have a second chance for casting vote.

7.2 The quorum for meetings of the Executive is 50%.

7.3 If at any meeting the chairperson is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding it, the Executive Members present may choose one of their members to be the chairperson of the meeting.

7.4 A committee may meet and adjourn as it thinks fit. Questions arising at any meeting of a committee shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members of the committee present, and when there is an equality of votes, the chairperson shall have a second chance for casting vote.

8. Rotation of Executive Members:

8.1 No ICCL member serves as a core committee (President, Secretary& Treasurer) consecutively for more than two years but can change their role if they get more than 50% votes in AGM.

8.2 All the Executive Members shall retire from office and at the Annual General Meeting in every subsequent year. At least Two-third of the Executive for the time being shall retire from office.

8.3 The Executive Members to retire in every year shall be those who have been longest in office since their last election.

8.4 The General Body may remove any Executive Member before the expiry of his / her period of office.

9. Notices:

9.1 A notice may be given by the executive committee to any member either personally or by sending it by post or email to the member at his or her registered address or email address (or, if not so registered, then to the address or email address of the member last known to the committee).

10. Notice of Meetings:

10.1 In the case of the annual general meeting, by not less than 14 days’ notice
(Exception only in emergency)

10.2 In the case of an executive committee meeting minimum, notice period
should be three days (Exception only in emergency)

10.3 The Body must ensure that the Charities Regulator has a copy of its most recent Rules. If it is proposed to make an amendment to the Rules of the Body which requires the prior approval of the Charities Regulatory, advance notice in writing of the proposed changes must be given to the Charities Regulator for approval, and the amendment shall not take effect until such approval is received.

11. Income and Property:

The income and property of the Body shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Main Object(s) as outlined in this Bylaw. No portion of the Body’s income and property shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus, or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to members of the Body.

12. Winding up:

If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Body there remains, after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, it shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Body. Instead, such property shall be given or transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having main objects similar to the main objects of the Body. The institution or institutions to which the property is to be given or transferred shall prohibit the distribution of their income and property among their members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the Body. Members of the Body shall select the relevant institution or institutions at or before the time of dissolution, and if and so far as effect cannot be given to such provisions, then the property shall be given or transferred to some charitable object with the agreement of the Charities Regulator. Final accounts will be prepared and submitted that will include a section that identifies and values any assets transferred along with the details of the recipients and the terms of the transfer.