An Overview of Society Registration in Telangana

Society Registration Act lays down certain procedures for the purpose of Society Registration in Telangana. This Society Registration Act was introduced with the aim of augmenting the legal stipulations of Society Registration for the advancement of fine arts, literature, science or distribution of awareness for generous purposes. The Act has been accepted by some State Governments with or without further amendments.

What is the Societies Registration Act, 2001?

According to this Act, a minimum of seven individuals who have attained the age of 18 years can apply for a Society Registration in Telangana. Society should contain a minimum of three executive committee members. Following are some of the purposes to establish a Society in Telangana:

• Educational, cultural, literature, charity, and regional purposes;
• Sports;
• Promotion of scientific temper in Society;
• For maintaining a library in Telangana;
• Knowledge of commerce & industry purpose;
• Fine Arts and Crafts;
• For preservation & collection of historical monuments, technical & philosophical research ;
• For any public purpose;
• For political education & training.

Benefits of Society Registration in Telangana

Following are some benefits of Society Registration in Telangana:

• Avail tax exemption from income tax. The Society working under the Act is eligible to file ITR;
• Safeguard the properties of the incorporated body against the opponent seeking ownership of the same;
• Gather funds from outside sources;
• Purchase a certain property without legal hassles, and registered Society holds the right to enforce proceedings regarding legal affairs in the court;
• Avoids the provisions that discourage the opening of a bank account in its name;
• Move the old property to another entity without involving with daunting documentation or strict compliances;
• Carry fewer liabilities;
• File cases against the defaulters/in case of a dispute. The registered Society holds the right to impose proceedings regarding legal affairs in the court;

Vital Documents Required for Society Registration in Telangana

Following are some vital documents required for Society Registration in Telangana:

• PAN Card: PAN Card of all the members of the Society has to be submitted with the application.
• Valid Residence Proof: All members' residence proof of the Society must be submitted. The following can be used as legitimate residence proof:

1. Aadhar Card;
2. Driving License;
3. Bank Statement;
4. Latest Utility Bill;
5. Passport

• MOA or Memorandum of Association: The MOA has to be prepared which will contain the following information:

1. The details or information of all the members establishing the Society;
2. The objectives & work of the Society for which it is being formed;
3. It will include the registered office address.

• Covering Letter: This letter mentioning the objective for which the Society is being established will be annexed to the beginning of the Society Registration application. It will be duly signed by all the founding members of the Society.
• Address Proof: A copy of address proof where the registered office of the Society will be located along with a No Objection Certificate from the landlord, if any, has to be attached.
• Declaration: A declaration has to be provided by the president of the proposed Society that he or she is willing & competent to hold the said post.
• List of all members: A detailed list of all the members of the governing body has to be given with their signatures.
• Rules & Regulations of the Society: The rules & regulations also have to be prepared, which will include the following details:

1. Rules & regulations by which the Society working will be governed & the maintenance of day to day activities;
2. Auditors’ information;
3. It will contain the rules for taking society membership;
4. Ways for the Society's dissolution will also be mentioned;
5. Forms of arbitration in the case of any dispute between the Society's members;
6. The details regarding the meetings of the Society & the frequency with which they are going to be held is to be mentioned.

Once the rules have been framed, they can be altered, but the new set of rules will be signed by the Chairman, Vice President, President, and the Secretary of the Society.

All the above documents should be submitted to the Societies' Registrar along with the mandatory fees in two copies. On receiving the application for the registration, the Registrar will sign the 1^st copy as acknowledgement & return it while keeping the 2^nd copy for approval. On proper screening of the documents, the Registrar will issue an Incorporation Certificate by allotting a Registration Number to it.

The signed Rules and Regulations and Memorandum has to be filed with the concerned Society or Registrar of State with the mentioned fee. If the Registrar is fulfilled with the application for Society Registration, then they will declare that the Society is registered.

Procedure for Society Registration in Telangana

Following is the procedure for Society Registration in Telangana:

Step 1: To apply for Society Registration in Telangana, you need to submit the application & the affidavit in a given format along with the supporting documents to the concerned Registrar.

Step 2: Then, you need to draft an MOA and By-Laws of the Society in duplicate with signatures of a minimum of three members on all the papers. The Memorandum and By-Laws are strictly to be as per the guidelines in Society Registration Act and should be only for charitable purposes.

Step 3: Take the address proof of all the Society's members and one of the registered addresses of the Society. Draft a Board Resolution where all the members had desired to establish a Society together with the approval of the Society's name.

Step 4: Draft an affidavit at Rs. 10 Stamp paper stating that the proposed Society name is not used by any other Society and the address of the Society is correct. Now you can proceed further with the payment & complete the procedure.