Constitution & Rules

Constitution of the IACTS

In the matter of Public trust INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF CARDIVOVASCULAR AND THORACIC SURGEONS. – Indian Medical Association House, 16, K. Khadye Marg, Bombay – 400 034.

• I Dr. Kananjar Raghuram Shetty in reference of the above named public trust, hereby apply under section 18 of the Bombay Public Trust, Act 1950, towards the Registration of the public trust.
• I submit the following necessary particulars:

• Fee of Rs.3/- (Rupees three only) accompanies
• Any communication to the trustees or manager in connection with the trust may be sent to the following address:
  
  Name: Dr. Kananjar Raghuram Shetty
  Address: 95, August Kranti Marg, Bombay 400 036
  
  Date: 12.8.1991
  
  Signature of the applicant
  (Dr. K. R. Shetty)

I, the above named Dr. Kananjar Raghuram Shetty inhabitant, residing at Bombay to solemnly affirm and say that what is stated in the above application is true to the best of my information and belief.

Solemnly affirmed at Bombay aforesaid this 12th day of August 1991.

Signature (Dr. K. R. Shetty)

Certified to be True copy

Before me

If the Wakf or Trust is registered under the old act, no fees under 3 are payable.

TAX PRINT, 177, Bazargate Street, Bombay 400 001. Public Trusts Registration Office Greater Bombay Region, Bombay

INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND THORACIC SURGEONS MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

• The name of the Society shall be ‘The Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons’.
• The office of the Association shall be located in the State of Maharashtra, and for the time being the official address of the Association shall be Indian Medical Association House 16 K Khadye Marg, Bombay 400 034.
• The objects of the Association shall be:
  • To encourage and advance the study and practice of the science and are of General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery;
  • To associate together in one corporate body all qualified workers actively practicing or interested in the science and are of General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery and allied fields;
  • To hold scientific meetings;
  • To encourage scientific research and experimental work in General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery;
  • To publish Journals, proceedings, brochures, periodicals, abstracts and/or any other literature pertaining to General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery;
  • To advice the Association of Surgeons of India on all matters affecting General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery and on publication of articles, proceedings, abstracts and similar other items in the Indian Journal of Surgery;
  • To establish contact with other professional Societies of Associations in India or abroad and to exchange scientific information and collaborate with them for the furtherance of matters of common interest;
  • To establish and maintain reference libraries of books, Journals, other publications and audiovisual materials relating to General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery;
  • To provide for instructions and education for the promotion and advancement of General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery;
  • To watch on legislation affecting General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery and allied subjects;
  • To advice other Associations/Societies/Voluntary Bodies/Central or State Government/Medical Council of India or State Medical Councils/Universities or other bonafide teaching or training centres on matters affecting the interest and development of General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery, including teaching and training of medical students (undergraduate and postgraduates) and paramedical workers in the speciality and allied fields, on matters pertaining to research in General Thoracic, Cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery, and regarding standardization of instruments, implants and prosthetic or biological appliances pertaining to the aforementioned specialities; and
  • To organize any other activity or do all such other things as may be incidental to or conducive to the furtherance of the interests of the Association.
• The full names, addresses, age, nationality, occupation and designations of the office bearers and members of the Executive Committee to whom the management of the Association is entrusted as per Rules and Regulations of the Association.

• We, the undersigned members of the Executive Committee of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons, do hereby declare that we are desirous of forming the society under the Society’s Registration Act, 1860 and with a view to register the same under the said Act we have subscribed our signatures to this Memorandum of Association.

Place: Bombay

Date: June 12, 1991

I identify the above signatures.

I know Dr. Kananjar R Shetty who has signed above in my presence.

(Bharat Goradia)

-Sd-

Chartered Accountant

Rules and Regulations of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons

Article No. 1: General

In the context of these Rules and Regulations, the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons shall be termed simply ‘Association’. The ‘Journal’ shall mean the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and generally, unless repugnant to the context, the singular shall include the plural and masculine the feminine and vice-versa and writing shall include print, lithograph or other substitute for writing.

• The Association shall inherit the entire membership and properties and funds of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of India.
• The name of the Association shall be originally abridged to IACTS, but for the sake of easy pronunciation and brevity, the abbreviation used on the certificates of Fellowship shall be “F.I.A.C.S.” for the Fellow of the Association.

Article No. 2: Membership

• Membership of the Association shall be open to those who
  • have acquired a recognised qualification in General Thoracic and/or cardiac and/or Vascular Surgery exclusively after having acquired a recognized qualification in Surgery, or
  • are engaged in the practice of or research pertaining to General Thoracic, Cardiac and / or Vascular Surgery exclusively after having acquired a recognized qualification in Surgery, or
  • are undergoing postgraduate training in General Thoracic and / or Cardiovascular Surgery or are engaged in the practice closely allied to General Thoracic, Cardiac and / or Vascular Surgery, or
  • are men of distinction, including laymen residing in India and abroad who have made outstanding contribution to the progress of General Thoracic, Cardiac and / Vascular Surgery.
• A post graduate degree / diploma in Cardiac or Vascular or Thoracic Surgery and /or combination of the foregoing three subjects shall be the recognized qualification for the membership of the Association.
• Membership shall comprise of seven categories, namely:
  • Fellow: A Life Member of the Association who has completed five years as a member / life member shall ordinarily be elected as a Fellow of the Association by the Executive Committee and upon the election shall be conferred a Certificate of Fellowship.
  • Honorary Fellow: An Honorary Fellow maybe directly elected by the Executive Committee unanimously, from amongst those who qualify for the membership and upon his election he shall be conferred a Certificate of Honorary Fellowship.
  • Life Member: A member of the Association of at least one year’s standing who contributes the minimum stipulated subscription for life membership may be elected by the Executive Committee as Life Member.
  • Member: A person shall be called a Member of the Association only when he is so elected by the Executive Committee after having qualified for the membership and pays the prescribed membership subscription.
  • Associate Member: A person shall be called an Associate Member of the Association only when he is so elected by the Executive Committee, after having qualified for the membership and pays the prescribed membership subscription, provided that the Executive Committee, elect unanimously and Associate Member of five years’ standing on application accompanied by the prescribed subscription for Life Membership.
  • Overseas Member: A person resident abroad shall be called an overseas member only when he is so elected by the Executive Committee after having qualified for membership and pays the prescribed subscription in US dollars and
  • Overseas Life Member: An Overseas Member of the Association of at least one year’s standing, who contributes the minimum stipulated subscription for Overseas Life Membership in US dollars maybe elected by the Executive Committee as an Overseas Life Member.

• The rates of subscription and initiation fees for the different categories of membership shall be as follows:

• Any change in the rate of subscription or of the Initiation Fee for the different categories of the membership shall take effect only from the date of adoption or amendment of these rules by the General Body of the Association and shall not presently or in future affect the status of or apply to the Honorary Fellow, Fellows, Life Members and Overseas Life Members on the role of the Association or of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of India on the date such change is brought into force.
• The Secretary shall scrutinize every application for membership and he may alter satisfying himself regarding the eligibility of the applicant for election to the appropriate category of membership, issue a letter to the applicant with a view to conferring on the latter the limited privilege of participating in the scientific meetings of the Association until such time as when a final decision is reached on the application.
• There shall be no numerical limit to the membership under any of the categories cited above.
• Fellows, Life Members and Members shall be referred to as “Full Members” of the Association.
• Proposals for any category of membership other than Fellows and Honorary Fellows shall be made on an official form supplied for the purpose. Every proposal shall be stamped by at least one Full Member of the Association and forwarded to the Secretary who shall place it before the Executive Committee for consideration.
• The Executive Committee may in their discretion and without assigning any reason therefor, a decline or refused to elect any person or persons to any of the category of membership.
• Elections to the different categories of membership other than to the category of Fellows and Honorary Fellows shall ordinarily be ratified by a simple majority of the Annual General Body Meeting of the Association.
• The decision of the Executive Committee with regard to the election of Fellows and Honorary Fellows shall be final.
• At the time of submission of the application for membership an Initiation Fee shall be paid by the prospective Member / Associate Member / Overseas Member.
• The Initiation Fee shall be equal to twice the annual subscription for the category of membership for which the application is submitted and upon election of the applicant to the desired category of the membership, 50% of the Initiation Fee shall be considered as his membership subscription for the current year and other 50% shall be credited to the consolidated fund of the Association. Provided that, in the event of the application for membership being unsuccessful, the Initiation Fee shall not be refunded and instead all of it shall be credited to the consolidated fund of the Association.
• The membership subscription for different categories of membership shall be as follows:
  • The annual subscription rate for members, associated members and overseas members shall be as stipulated in the Rules and Regulations.
  • A Life Member and an Overseas Life member shall be required to pay in a single installment, 10 times the annual subscription of a member and of an overseas member respectively.
  • Fellows and Honorary Fellows shall not be required to pay any membership subscription.
  • The annual subscription from Members, Associate Members and Overseas Members shall fall due on the first April each year and is payable in advance. The amount so collected shall be credited to the general account of the Association.
  • 50% of the subscription paid by the Life Members, Overseas Members and Overseas Life Members shall be credited to the account of the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the other 50% to the General Account of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Article No. 3: Privileges of Members:

• The Full Members of the Association shall have the privilege of participating in all the activities of the Association including the right to attend the General Body Meeting, the right to vote, the right to take part in the elections to the Executive Committee of the Association and the right to propose the names for the membership of the Association.
• The Honorary Fellows, Associate Members, Overseas Members and Overseas Life Members shall have the privilege of participating in the scientific meetings and social events organized by the Association and of engaging in scientific discussions and educational Programmes conducted by the Association, after paying the requisite fees, if any. However, they shall not have the right to attend the General Body Meetings or the right to vote or to take part in the elections to the Executive Committee of the Association or to propose the names for the members.
• Everyone belonging to any of the categories of membership of the Association shall receive free of cost a copy of the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery as and when it is published.
• A member or Associate Member or overseas member, whose membership subscription to the Association is in arrears for three consecutive years and remains unpaid after three reminders sent through certified post at monthly intervals to his address listed in the records of the Association, shall automatically lose all the privileges of membership and, unless corrective steps are taken by him before the 31st December of the year in which the reminders have been sent, his name shall be deleted from the records of membership of the Association by the Executive Committee.
• Privileges of membership may also be withdrawn from a person, whose continued membership, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, is detrimental to the interest of or is likely to bring disrepute to the Association. However, before taking this step on such grounds, the person concerned shall be given an opportunity to explain his conduct either in person or in writing and, before deleting his name from the records of membership of the Association, the approval of the General Body by a simple majority of Full Members present and voting, shall have to be obtained.
• Any person, who ceases to be a member of the Association from any cost whatsoever, shall immediately lose all the privileges of membership and he shall not be entitled to refund of the membership subscription paid by him to the Association.
• Corrective steps in the context of defaulting members, Associate Members and overseas members shall mean full payment of all the arrears of membership subscription due from the concerned person.
• Recommendation of withdrawal of the privileges of membership can be made by the Executive Committee only when the decision to that effect has been reached by the majority opinion of the entire Executive Committee and not merely by the majority opinion of the members of the Executive Committee participating in the process of voting.
• Any person from any of the categories of membership may resign his membership of the Association. Upon acceptance by the Executive Committee, such resignation shall be immediately effective and the concerned person shall no longer enjoy any of the privileges of the membership including the right to use the abbreviation F.I.A.C.S. after his name.
• All the properties and funds of the Association shall belong to the Association collectively and no individual Fellow, Honorary Fellow, Life Member, Associate Member, Overseas Member or Overseas Life Member shall have any property right over any of the said properties or funds.

Article No. 4: Officers of the Association

• The Officers of the Association shall be a President, a Senior Vice President, a Junior Vice President, a Secretary and a Joint Secretary cum Treasurer.
• All Officers shall be honorary.
• President:
  • The tenure of the President shall be from the day of his installation to the day of installation of his successor.
  • He shall preserve, protect and uphold the Constitution and shall guide the other Officers in the discharge of their duties.
  • He shall preside over the General Body Meetings, the meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Editorial Board, and over any function organized by or on behalf of the Association.
  • He shall chair the scientific session when any of the orations of the Association is delivered.
  • He shall be an ex-officio member of all the Committees and Sub-Committees of the Association.
  • He shall have the honor of delivering, before laying down his office, a presidential address at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association.
• Senior Vice President:
  • The tenure of the Senior Vice President shall be one year at the end of which he shall be installed as President in the Annual General Body Meeting without any formal election.
  • He shall be the ex-officio Chairman of the Scientific Programme Committee of the Scientific Meetings of the Association and shall be primarily responsible for giving the Scientific Programme of the Scientific Meetings their final shape and content in conformity with the guidelines laid down by the Executive Committee.
  • He shall be the Returning Officer for the election to the Executive Committee, and declarations by him regarding the validity of the nominations and votes, and regarding the results of elections shall be binding unless reverted by the President.
  • He shall discharge all the duties of the President in the latter’s absence and shall substitute the President on the Editorial Board of the Journal until such time as when the President resumes his duties or the new President is installed, whichever is earlier.
  • In the event of the death of the Junior Vice president or of the Junior Vice President relinquishing his office before the end of his tenure, the Senior Vice President shall additionally function as the consulting editor for the Indian Journal of Surgery.
• Junior Vice President:
  • A Junior Vice President shall be elected by the General Body at the Annual General Body Meeting each year.
  • He shall remain the Junior Vice President and until the next Annual General Body Meeting after which he shall automatically become the Senior Vice President.
  • He shall be the Consulting Editor for the Indian Journal of Surgery at and shall advise regarding the suitability for publication in that Journal of any article or abstract pertaining to General Thoracic, Cardiac or Vascular Surgery.
  • He shall discharge all the duties of the Senior Vice President in the latter’s absence until such time as when the Senior Vice President resumes his office or he (the Junior Vice President is installed as the Senior Vice President, whichever is earlier).
  • In the event of the death of the Senior Vice president or of the Senior Vice President relinquishing his office before or at the end of his tenure, the Junior Vice President shall become the Senior Vice President of the Association and prior to his installation as the President of the Association, the offices of the Junior Vice President as well as the Senior Vice President shall be filled through election, provided that he shall continue to be the Consulting Editor for the Indian Journal of Surgery until time a new Junior Vice President is duly elected.
• Secretary:
  • The Secretary shall be elected by the General Body at the Annual General Body Meeting for the tenure of three years and in no case for more than two consecutive tenures.
  • He shall be the principal executive Officer of the Association and shall sign and execute all contracts, deeds or other instruments in the name of the Association, as directed by the Executive Committee.
  • He shall manage the day to day affairs and implement all the policies and Programmes of the Association, in consultation with the President, and shall place his reports thereon at the meetings of the Executive Committee.
  • He shall present an Annual Report on the activities and affairs of the Association at the Annual General Body Meeting, after getting the said report approved by the Executive Committee.
  • He shall prepare and keep the minutes of all the meetings of the Executive Committee and of the General Body.
  • He shall be the custodian of all the assets, documents and papers and of the rights and properties other than the funds of the Association.
  • He shall be an ex-officio member of all the Committees and Sub-Committees of the Association.
  • He shall discharge the duties of the Treasurer in the latter’s absence until such time as when the Treasurer resumes his duties or a new Treasurer is elected, whichever is earlier.
  • He shall have, for the discharge of his duties, the authority to spend money from the ‘Secretary’s Contingency Fund’, the size of which shall be as determined by the Executive Committee from time to time.

Provided that the Secretary shall maintain proper accounts of the money spent from the ‘Secretary’s Contingency Fund’ and shall submit the same to the Treasurer for auditing by the auditors appointed by the General Body.

• The Association shall sue or be sued through the Secretary. Provided that any such suit shall be filed / defended by the Secretary after consulting and in accordance with the direction given by the Executive Committee of the Association.
• In the event of the death of the Secretary or of the Secretary relinquishing his office before the end of his tenure, the Joint Secretary cum Treasurer shall additionally function as the Secretary of the Association.

• Joint Secretary cum Treasurer:
  • He shall be a resident of the city/ town / village where the registered office of the Association is located and shall manage the office under the direction of the Secretary.
  • He shall be elected by the General Body at the Annual General Body Meeting for a tenure of 3 years. Ordinarily, he shall not be re-elected for a second consecutive tenure.
  • He shall keep the accounts of the finances of the Association including those of the Journal and shall get all the accounts audited by the auditors appointed by the General Body.
  • He shall present the annual audited accounts for the previous fiscal year and the unaudited accounts up to and inclusive of the 31st December of the current fiscal year before the Executive Committee and thereafter in the Annual General Body Meeting of the Association.
  • He shall be the custodian of all the funds of the Association including those of the Journal, except the ‘Secretary’s Contingency Fund’ and the ‘Managing Editor’s Contingency Fund’ and shall have the authority to sign receipts, cheques and other negotiable instruments on behalf of the Association and the Journal.
  • He shall discharge the duties of the Secretary the latter’s absence until such time as when the Secretary resumes his duties or the new Secretary is elected, whichever is earlier.
  • In the event of the death of the Treasurer or of the Treasurer relinquishing his office before the end of his tenure, the Secretary shall additionally function as the Treasurer of the Association.

Article No. 5: Executive Committee

• The Officers of the Association together with the two immediate past presidents available and willing, the managing editor of the Journal, 6 ordinary members elected from amongst the Full Members on the role of the Association, by the General Body at the Annual General Body Meeting shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Association.
• The tenure of each of the six ordinary members of the Executive Committee shall be three years provided that each year at least two of these six members retire necessitating fresh election to fill their vacancy thus created.
• A retiring ordinary member of the Executive Committee shall be eligible for re-election but not for more than two consecutive tenures of three years each as ordinary member of the Executive Committee.
• The managing editor of the Journal shall be elected by the General Body at the Annual Body Meeting for a tenure of three years and in no case for more than two consecutive tenures. He shall be primarily responsible for the regular publication of the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and in this task he shall be guided by the directions given by the Executive Committee.
• The Executive Committee shall:
  • Be the governing body of the Association and in them shall be vested the powers of managing the affairs of the Association in accordance with the memorandum of the Association, the Constitution and the by-laws of the Association.
  • Exercise general control and supervision over the Officers and committees of the Association and over the managing editor of the Journal,
  • Scrutinize all proposals for membership of the Association and shall elect, if it deems fit any person to an appropriate category of membership as per the provisions of article No.4,
  • Recommend, from time to time, the rate of subscription for different categories of membership of the Association and shall take appropriate steps to get the revised rates entered in the by-laws of the Association,
  • Determine the sizes of the Secretary’s Contingency Fund and the ‘Managing Editor’s Contingency Fund’ and
  • Lay down guidelines for the functioning of the Editorial Board of the Journal.
• The Executive Committee may withdraw the privileges of membership of the Association from a person in accordance with Article No. 3 e.
• Without prejudice the authority of the General Body of the Association the Executive Committee may also exercise the powers as under:
  • To appoint committees, commissions and subcommittees and delegate certain functions and powers to them as it may deem necessary.
  • To nominate from amongst the Full Members of the Association, three members to the Editorial Board of the Journal and to choose the Consulting Editors for the Journal.
  • To co-opt any Life Member, Member, Associate Member or any other person to any committee/ subcommittee,
  • To nominate delegates to represent the Association at Conferences in India and abroad,
  • To purchase, build or otherwise acquire and hold land, buildings, machineries, plants, furnitures, vehicles, books and other equipment that may be found necessary in furtherance of the functions and duties of the Association, for and in the name of the Association.
  • to receive donations and benefaction for and in the name of the Association or the Journal,
  • To constitute Trusts / Foundations or to create endowments for specific activities of the Association, and
  • To authorise disbursement from the general account of the Association the account of the Journal,
  • To issue certificates, diplomas, or to give prizes / awards, or to confer honors, if and when deemed fit by the Association.
• The Executive Committee, with the approval of the General Body may borrow, guarantee, raise or otherwise procure money on security of movable, immovable or other assets of the Association if the need arises.
• Except as herein otherwise specifically stated the decision of the Executive Committee on matters of the Association including those of the Journal shall be Final, subject only to an appeal to the General Body;

Provided that any action legally taken by the Executive Committee in good faith shall not be reversed by the General Body with retrospective effect.

• The Executive Committee shall meet at least once during each of the scientific meetings organized by the Association so that they meet ordinarily twice during a financial year of the Association.

Provided that at least one meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held within 24 hours prior to the commencement of the Annual General Body Meeting of the Association.

• The Executive Committee may, without meeting together transact business by mail, Telegraph, telex or telefax by voting upon matters transmitted to the members of the Executive Committee by the Secretary with the approval of the President.
• In the event of two or more vacancies occurring in the office of the Officers of the Association, through any cause whatsoever, during the period between two consecutive Annual General Body Meetings, the remaining members of the Executive Committee, at their next meeting or through voting by mail, Telegraph, telex or Telefax shall fill the vacancies by co-opting any of the Full Members of the Association until the next Annual General Body Meeting of the Association.
• Further, the event of any of the persons, selected by the General Body to deliver the orations instituted by the Association, being unable to deliver the said oration, on any account whatsoever, the Executive Committee shall ordinarily nominate a suitable replacement through a process of voting, if sufficient time is available for the nominee to prepare for the oration.
• Should any dispute arise between the Officers of the Association or between the managing editor of the Journal and any of the Officers of the Association or between any two members of the Executive Committee relating to their respective duties or to any alleged breach of the provisions of the Constitution or by-laws or on any account whatsoever which cannot be satisfactorily settled under the procedures already provided or agreed to, then the President shall arbitrate and his decision shall be binding on all parties.
• The Secretary, subject to the superintendence and general control of the Executive Committee and directions and guidance given by the General Body shall have full administrative control over the working of the Association in all its spheres of activities and functions and it shall be his duty and responsibility to translate into action the objects of the Association and the resolutions caused by the General Body of the Association.
• The managing editor, subject to the superintendence of the Secretary and general control of the Executive Committee shall have full administrative control over the publication of the Journal.
• The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Association to whom by the rules and regulations of the Association the management of its affairs is entrusted.
• The Executive Committee shall have full power to exercise control over the properties of the Association and to engage such officials or other staff / persons, paid or honorary, or may be found necessary for the proper conduct or management of the affairs of the Association in keeping with its objects.
• The Executive Committee or any of its members shall not be held responsible for the damage to or loss of any property or fund of the Association incurred as a result of any action taken in good faith.

Article No. 6: Election

• The election for filling up the vacancies in the Executive Committee shall be held annually at the Annual General Body Meeting after due notice to Full Members on the roll of the Association.
• The Secretary shall call for nominations for the impending vacancies, and for the existing vacancies, when there are any, in the Executive Committee by sending to each of the Full Members a notice at least six weeks before the Annual General Body Meeting.
• The last date and time for filling a nomination paper shall be the date and time of the meeting of the Executive Committee which immediately precedes the Annual General Body Meeting of the Association.
• All valid nominations shall be duly proposed and seconded by at least one Full Member each on the roll of the Association.
• Withdrawal of nomination can be made on the floor of the House at the time of the Annual General Body Meeting or earlier in writing.

Provided that the President shall have the power to call for fresh nominations from the house at the time of the Annual General Body Meeting in the event of a valid nomination getting nullified by the withdrawal of the candidature by the person whose name had been proposed or if there is no valid nomination left in the field for filling up any of the vacancies in the Executive Committee.

• Voting shall take place if there are more than one nomination for anyone vacancy and the winner shall be declared on the basis of the simple majority of the number of valid votes cast.
• The new President shall be installed immediately after the declaration of the results of the elections and the reconstituted Executive Committee shall be deemed to have taken over along with the installation of the President.
• Ordinarily the Senior Vice President shall be the returning Officer for the elections.
• The members of the Executive Committee, in their individual capacity may propose and second nominations for the election to the Executive Committee, but no such nomination shall be proclaimed to be of the Executive Committee.
• In the event of the decision of the returning Officer for the elections to the Executive Committee with regard to the validity of the nominations and votes and the result of the said elections, being reversed or set aside by the President, the General Body shall immediately appoint a subcommittee of three members chosen from those attending the said General Body. The President shall then adjourn the annual General Body Meeting for 15 minutes or, if required, longer at the end of which the said subcommittee shall give their verdict which shall be binding on all parties, the Secretary shall be one of the members of this subcommittee.
• Voting for the elections to the Executive Committee shall be by secret ballot to be held during the Annual General Body Meeting transacting the business of such elections.

Article No. 7: Publication

• The official organ of the Association shall be the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
• The frequency of publication of the Journal shall be half yearly unless and until altered by the Executive Committee.
• The Editorial Board of the Journal shall consist of:

• A limited number of consulting editors from India and abroad may be co-opted provided that they agree to function as reviewers of articles for the Journal.
• Whereas the managing editor shall have to be duly elected in an Annual General Body Meeting, the Executive Committee shall nominate the three Ordinary Members of the Editorial Board, and also choose the Consulting Editor.
• Managing Editor:
  • He shall enjoy full freedom regarding the selection of the two associate editors belonging to any of the categories of membership of the Association, to assist him in getting the Journal published.
  • He shall also have the freedom regarding the choice of articles to be published, and regarding the format and the size of the Journal.
  • He shall have the power to appoint up to two administrative assistants or one administrative assistant and another staff member of his choice to aid him in the discharge of his duties.
  • He shall have, for the discharge of his duties, authority to spend money from the Managing Editor’s Contingency Fund the size of which shall be as determined by the Executive Committee from time to time.

Provided that the Managing Editor shall maintain proper accounts of the money spent from the Managing Editor’s Contingency Fund and shall submit the same to the Treasurer for auditing by the auditors appointed by the General Body.

• In the event of the death of the Managing Editor or the Managing Editor relinquishing his office before the end of his tenure, the Executive Committee shall nominate any of the other members of the Editorial Board of the Journal to function as the Managing Editor until fresh elections are held to fill the office of the Managing Editor.

Article No. 8: Finances

• The financial year of the Association shall run from the 1st April, of one calendar year to the 31st March of the following calendar year both days inclusive. The books of the Association shall be kept and audited on this basis.
• All property and money of the Association shall be vested and held in its name, while the specific fund allotted to the Journal by the Executive Committee, shall be vested and held in the name of the Journal.
• The amount realized from the Initiation Fees shall be placed in a special fund called the Consolidated Fund of the Association, while the specified portions of the membership subscription shall be credited to the General Account of the Association and to the Account of the Journal.
• The Consolidated Fund of the Association shall be held in reserve for meeting extraordinary expenses, as determined by the General Body of the Association.
• The income from the Consolidated Fund and all other sources shall be credited to the General Account of the Association. Dispersal from this General Account shall be made as per the decision of the Executive Committee unless otherwise specified.
• The accounts of the Association and of the Journal shall be maintained in the names of the Association and the Journal respectively at a bank or banks authorized by the Executive Committee.
• The Treasurer shall operate and maintain the consolidated fund and the general account of the Association as well as the account of the Journal and shall operate the bank accounts thereof.
• The accounts of the Association and of the Journal shall be audited annually by the officially appointed auditors and the audited reports of the previous fiscal year along with the unaudited accounts up to an inclusive of the 31st December of the current fiscal year shall be placed before the Executive Committee and thereafter at the Annual General Body Meeting.

Article No. 9: Meetings

• Scientific Meetings:
  • There shall be at least one scientific meeting, otherwise referred to as Conference, organized by the Association during one financial year and this shall be called the annual scientific meeting, or simply annual Conference, of the Association.
  • The annual Conference shall ordinarily commence on the 26th February and conclude on the 28th February of each year, but in no case before the 15th February or later than the 15th March of that year.
  • The second scientific meeting, if and when held, shall ordinarily be held in the month of September but in no case before the 1st August or later than the 15th October of each year.
  • Each scientific meeting shall have scientific Programme committee headed by the Senior Vice President and have as members, the local Organising Secretary of the meeting and another local person drawn from the membership of the Association. The Secretary of the Association shall be the ex-officio member of the Programme committee.
  • For the benefit of members of any other professional Association or society, the Association shall organize, if so requested by the said Association or society, symposia or panel discussions or continuing medical education Programme, pertaining to general thoracic, cardiac and / or vascular surgery, but not a regular scientific meeting.
• Executive Committee Meetings:
  • The frequency of the meetings of the Executive Committee shall be as per Article No.7 j.
  • Five members shall form the quorum at the meeting of the Executive Committee.
  • Each meeting of the Executive Committee shall confirm the minutes of the immediately preceding Executive Committee meeting, before transacting other business.
• General Body Meeting:
  • A meeting of the General Body of the Association shall be held on the second day of the annual Conference of the Association. This meeting shall be designated the Annual General Body Meeting and shall ordinarily be conducted as the afternoon session of the Conference that day, preceded only by one or two guest lectures or an oration, if needed.
  • An extraordinary General Body Meeting shall be called by the Secretary, if so decided by the Executive Committee unanimously or requisitioned in writing by not less than one fifth of the total number of Full Members on the rolls of the Association.
  • Only Full Members of the Association are eligible to attend a General Body Meeting.
  • The quorum for the Extraordinary General Body Meeting shall be one-eighth of the total number of Full Members eligible to attend the said meeting.
  • The quorum for the Annual General Body Meeting shall be one-tenth of the total number of Full Members eligible to attend the said meeting.

Provided that, if there is no quorum then the meeting shall be adjourned for 15 minutes and if at such adjourned General Body Meeting too, the required quorum is not available then the Full Members, with the right to vote, present in the meeting shall constitute the quorum and this meeting shall go through the already circulated agenda with a view to transacting the routine business of the Annual General Body Meeting.

• The quorum for the General Body Meeting discussing amendments of the Constitution of the Association shall be one-seventh of the total number of Full Members eligible to the said meeting.

Provided that if there is no requisite quorum, then the meeting shall be adjourned for 15 minutes. If after this period of adjournment there is still no quorum but the Secretary reports that more than one-seventh of the eligible Full Members of the Association have returned the proxy vote, forms duly signed, then the President may declare that the requisite quorum is present and proceed with the business of the meeting.

• The extraordinary general body meeting shall be convened by the Secretary on the date decided by the Executive Committee to that effect or within eight weeks from the date of receiving the return demand to that effect from the required number of requisitionists of the same.
• Each meeting of the General Body shall confirm the minutes of the immediate preceding General Body meeting before transacting other businesses.
• Notice for the annual General Body Meeting/ Extraordinary General Body Meeting along with its agenda shall be sent through certified post by the Secretary to all the eligible Full Members of the Association, at least four weeks before the scheduled date for the Annual General Body Meeting / Extraordinary General Body Meeting.

• Any decision other than those pertaining to the amendments of the Constitution or dissolution of the Association taken at the Meeting of the Executive Committee or the General Body, which is duly convened and held and where there is a requisite quorum, shall be deemed to have the same effect as that which is passed under the signature of all the members of the respective bodies, unless otherwise specifically stated elsewhere in this Constitution.

Article No. 10: General Body and Amendment of the Constitution:

• All eligible Full Members of the Association shall constitute the General Body of the Association.
• The General Body shall be supreme authority of the Association whence the Executive Committee derives its power.
• It shall, by simple majority, function as the final arbiter in disputes arising out of differing interpretations of the Constitution.
• The General Body shall adopt by-laws not inconsistent with this Constitution, embodying additional provisions with a view to clarifying the provisions in the Constitution and to facilitating the proper functioning of the Association.
• The General Body shall be competent to amend, delete, substitute or add to any of the provisions of the memorandum of Association and of the constitution of the Association or to frame new rules and regulations or to authorize disbursement from the corpus of the consolidated fund of the Association, as and when deemed fit, in accordance with the procedures laid down hereunder;

• The copies of the proposed amendment / new provisions / special resolutions along with the proxy vote form shall be mailed through certified post to all the Full Members of the Association having the right to vote, at least six weeks ahead of the date of the General Body Meeting.
• The proposed amendment / new provisions / special resolution shall be moved at the Annual General Body Meeting or at an extraordinary General Body Meeting specifically convened for the purpose.
• The quorum for this General Body Meeting shall be as stated in Article 9 c (vi) and
• More than 50% of the total eligible Full Members on the roll of the Association vote in favor of the amendment/ new provision / special resolution, either in person or by proxy, including at least two-thirds of the members present at the said General Body Meeting.

Provided that any affirmative proxy vote shall be counted either when it is duly signed by an eligible Full Member on the roll of the Association or if a Full Member does not reply within four weeks from the date of mailing the proxy vote form to his address listed in the records of the Association, thereby indicating his approval of the proposed amendment of the Constitution / new provision in the Constitution / Special resolution.

• All the Full Members of the Association who, as on the date of the General Body Meeting, are not in arrears for more than two consecutive years in respect of payment of their subscriptions to the Association and whose membership privileges have not been withdrawn, shall be eligible to validly constitute the General Body.
• In the absence of the requisite quorum, an extraordinary General Body Meeting shall not be valid and consequently while such a General Body may discuss the already circulated agenda, any of the decisions taken at this meeting shall not be construed as anything more than a mere suggestion for further consideration.
• The Annual General Body shall transact, among other things, the following routine businesses:
  • Approval of the minutes of the immediate previous Annual General Body Meeting;
  • Consideration of the report of the Secretary;
  • Consideration of the audited accounts and appointment of the auditors for the current year;
  • Selection of candidates for the various traveling Fellowships (Betts Fellowship, Ethicon Fellowship, etc.)
  • Selection of candidates for the orations instituted by the Association (Dr. C.S. Sadasivan Oration and Dr. G.S. Karai Oration, etc.);
  • Selection of the venues for the forthcoming Conference of the Association;
  • Admission of new members to various categories of memberships;
  • Elections to the Executive Committee;
  • Installation of the new President; and
  • Vote of thanks

Article No. 11: Fellowships, Orations and Awards:

• Reeve H. Betts Fellowship:
  • Each year this Fellowship shall be awarded to only one candidate who shall be a member or life member of the Association.
  • The age of the candidate shall be at least 35 years at the time of submitting his application for the Fellowship and he shall be attached to a cardiovascular and /or thoracic surgical unit where he returns to at the end of his visit.
  • The duration of this traveling Fellowship shall be up to six weeks but not less than four weeks and the candidate shall be required to submit to the Association a detailed report of his visit within two months of the completion of his visit.
  • A candidate for the Fellowship shall get his application forwarded by his head of the department unless he himself occupies that chair, and shall clearly state, among other things, the purpose of his applying for the Fellowship indicating how, in his opinion, it may influence his future work.
  • A candidate selected for the Fellowship by the General Body shall submit to the Executive Committee a detailed Programme of his proposed visit along with copies of the letters indicating that he would be accepted as a Fellow by the cardiovascular and / or thoracic surgical centers of his choice within the country, for the duration stipulated by him.
  • In the event of the Fellowship, in a given year, is either not awarded or not availed by the selected candidate, the Fellowship amount shall be added to the corpus of the Fellowship.
• Starr-Ahmad Fellowship:
  • Each year, this Fellowship shall be awarded to only one cardiac surgeon or a cardiologist alternatively.
  • A candidate for this Fellowship shall be a member or life member of his respective professional society (the Association in case of the cardiac surgeon and the Cardiological Society of India in the case of the cardiologist).
  • The age of the candidate at the time of submitting his application for this Fellowship shall be between 35 and 45 years and he must be in possession of a valid passport.
  • The candidate must be attached to a Cardiac Surgical Unit or Cardiology Unit, depending upon his profession, and shall be required to get his application forwarded by his respective Head of the Department unless he himself occupies that chair.
  • The candidate must himself give an undertaking and shall enclose with his application a certificate from the Head of his Institute / Center to the effect that he shall be returning to his job in the Institute / Center at the end of his Fellowship period.
  • A candidate for this Fellowship in his application must clearly state, among other things, the purpose of his applying for the Fellowship indicating how, in his opinion, it may help his future work.
  • The candidate must also state in his application if he has visited any country or countries in the past for an aggregate period of three months or more and, if indeed he has, then he must furnish the particulars of the duration and purpose of his visits abroad.
  • The Secretary of the Association shall scrutinize the applications and prepare a shortlist of 10 candidates who shall be asked to appear at a personal interview, before a committee consisting of the President and Secretary of the Association and Dr. P. Shatapathy and Dr. K.M. Cherian, during the Annual Conference of the Association.
  • The aforesaid committee shall further shortlist 3 candidates in Order of Merit and this list shall be sent to Dr. Aftab Ahmad at Portland, Oregon, USA for selection of the successful and an alternate candidate.
  • The duration of the Fellowship shall ordinarily be for three months to be spent at the Heart Institute of the St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center, Portland Oregon, USA.
• Dr. C.S. Sadasivan Memorial Oration:
  • This oration shall ordinarily be delivered during the annual Conference of the Association and shall carry an award and a citation.
  • The subject of the oration shall pertain to cardiac surgery.
  • The nominee for the oration shall be a member/ life member / overseas member/ overseas life member of the Association of at least seven years’ standing.
  • A nomination paper for the Oration must be signed by at least two Full Members of the Association and shall enclose the following:
    • A detailed curriculum vitae of the nominee;
    • A brief note, not exceeding 500 words, regarding the contribution of the nominee towards the advancement of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery; and
    • an indication from the nominee regarding his willingness to deliver the oration, if selected.
  • The President of the Association shall be one of the chairpersons of the session in which the Oration is delivered.
  • In the unusual event of no selection being made in a given year or the selected candidate failing to deliver the Oration, the cash award normally given to the Orator shall be added to the corpus of the Memorial Fund.
• Dr. Godrej Karai Memorial Oration:
  • This Oration shall be delivered during the annual Conference of the Association and shall carry an award and a citation.
  • The subject of the Oration shall pertain to general thoracic and / or vascular surgery.
  • Other rules governing the Oration shall be as per Dr. C.S. Sadasivan Memorial Oration.
• The selections for the above cited Orations and Fellowship excluding the Starr-Ahmad Fellowship, shall be made by the Executive Committee subject to ratification by the General Body.
• The guidelines for the Dr. Parsuram Memorial Award or any other award or traveling Fellowship shall be laid down by the Executive Committee taking into consideration the wishes of those Institutions giving such award or traveling Fellowship.

Article No. 12: Conference:

• Each Conference shall ordinarily be restricted to three days while the continuing medical education (C.M.E.) Programme, if any, may be conducted in the evenings of the first and second day of the Conference.

Provided that the inauguration of the Conference may be held during the evening previous to the day when the scientific sessions commence.

• At least one meeting of the Scientific Programme Committee of the Conference shall be held before finalising its scientific Programme. The organisers of the said Conference shall host this meeting and shall reimburse the traveling expenses of and provide local hospitality to the outstanding members of the Scientific Programme Committee headed by the Senior Vice President of the Association.
• The Orations of the Association shall rank next only to the Presidential address in importance and shall be accordingly assigned pride of place in the Programme of the Conference.
• Choice of chairpersons or rapporteurs, for the scientific sessions, shall be confined to persons belonging to any of the categories of membership of the Association.
• The registration fee for the Conference, as far as possible, should only cover the cost of organising the scientific deliberations, providing tea and snacks during mid-session breaks and of meeting such other expenses as are essential to holding the Conference.
• A separate registration fee may be charged for participation in the CME Programme.
• Meals coupons for the duration of the Conference may be supplied at a price, but ordinarily the charges for the meals shall not be included in the registration fee for the Conference.
• The organisers of the Conference, if they can raise enough funds, may arrange entertainment Programme following the inauguration of the Conference, and following the valedictory function, and / or may host dinners during those evenings.
• The organisers of the Conference shall be required to give an undertaking to get the accounts of the Conference audited by recognized auditors within six months of the conclusion of the Conference and to submit to the Secretary of the Association a copy of the auditor’s certificate to that effect.
• Surplus income, if any, from the Conference shall be handled as under:

Thirty percent of the surplus income from each Conference shall be credited to the consolidated fund of the Association another Twenty percent shall be credited to the account of the Journal and the remaining fifty percent shall be handed in a manner determined by the organisers of the said Conference.

• The Executive Committee shall evolve within three years detailed guidelines for the scientific Programme of the Conferences.
• A paper to be considered for presentation during the scientific sessions of a Conference shall have as its Co-author at least one person belonging to any of the categories of membership of the Association or shall be sponsored by a life member of the Association.

Article No.13

• Only the General Body may amend, delete, substitute or add to the provisions of the existing by-laws as and when considered necessary.
• The procedure to be followed for amending the existing by-laws or to frame new by-laws shall be as laid down in the Article 12 (e) of the constitution of the Association, except that the quorum for the said General Body Meeting shall be at least one-tenth of the eligible Full Members on the roll of the Association.

Article No.14

In the event of a contingency arising which has not been provided for either in the Constitution or in the by-laws, the President of the Association shall determine the procedure to be followed in dealing with that contingency.

Article No.15: Dissolution of the Association:

• The procedures to be followed for dissolving the Association shall be the same as those laid down for amending the Constitution (Article 12 (e)) except that the decision regarding dissolution shall be valid only if at least two-thirds of the total eligible Full Members on the roll of the Association vote in favor of the resolution either in person or by proxy.
• If, upon dissolution of the Association, there remains, after clearance of all its debts and liabilities, any fund or property whatsoever the same shall not be transferred to the names of or distributed, in cash or kind, among the members of the Association; but instead, the said property or fund shall be given or transferred to one or more societies or institutions having objects similar to all or determined by the affirmative votes of not less than two-thirds of the members participating personally in a General Body Meeting held at or before the time of the dissolution.

Provided that if for any reason whatsoever, effect cannot be given to the aforesaid provision then the said fund or property shall be given or transferred to some other charitable society or institution.

Article No.16: Indemnity:

• Neither any member of the Executive Committee nor any of the members of the Association shall be answerable or held responsible for the loss of or damage to any property or loss of any fund of the Association incurred as a result of any action taken in good faith, nor for any error in judgment or mere indiscretion on his part in the performance of his duties or otherwise except for willful negligence or fraud
• Legal heirs, executives or administrators of the properties of any member of the Executive Committee or of the Association shall at all times be indemnified and saved harmless out of the properties and funds of the Association.

Article No.17: Miscellaneous:

• The financial year of the Association shall run from 1st April of one calendar year to the 31st March of the next calendar year both days inclusive, but the new Executive Committee shall replace the old one and commence functioning from the time the new President is installed at the Annual General Body Meeting of the Association.
• The income and properties of the Association whensoever derived shall be applied solely to the promotion of the objects of the Association as set forth in the Memorandum of Association and no portion thereof shall be paid to individual members or Officers of the Association as dividend, bonus or gift or compensation other than by way of reimbursement of actual expenses incurred for managing the affairs of the Association.

Certified to be true copy of the Rules and regulations of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons.

Signed by office bearers.

Article No. 18: Amendments

The following amendments were proposed and passed during the General Body Meeting, IACTSCON 2015, HICC, Hyderabad on 20 February 2015:

• The Organising Chairman/Secretary/Treasurer of all CTCMEs/National Conferences will be eligible to contest for any post of the Association only after the submission and approval of their conference accounts by the Executive Committee.
• The Organising Secretary of annual conference has to submit their conference accounts to the General Body during the forthcoming annual conference.
• Eligibility criteria for fellowship:
  • Completion of five full membership years
  • Attendance for three annual conferences
  • Minimum of two publications in IJCTVS
• Conversion of printed newsletter to e-newsletter only after majority of members register in the website.
• Conducting certification exam for surgical PAs and offering associate membership to the candidates who obtain the certificates.
• Editor’s tenure to be changed from the present 3 years to 5 years. The next Editor could be selected at the end of the fourth year, so he could have apprenticeship for one year before he starts his term.

Article No. 19: Amendment

This amendment was passed by the general body at the annual general body meet at the IACTSCON Mumbai 2026.

The article 10 e 1 is amended thus the proposed amendments can be circulated to the members by email and other electronic means six weeks prior to the annual general body meet for consideration therein and not necessarily by physical post.