Approved and adopted on 9^th November, 1975

Amended on 8^th January, 1978

Amended on 11^th November, 1979

Amended on 27^th January, 1985

Amended on 20^th February, 1984

Amended on 2^nd January, 2005

Registered with commissioner of Charities Registration Number 275315

I.  PREAMBLE

 

1. The name of the organisation shall be the “NANAK DARBAR NORTH LONDON”, hereinafter called the DARBAR.
2. The Darbar shall be a religious, charitable and non-political body.

 

3. The registered office of the Darbar shall be located in the Gurdwara North London at 136 High Road, New Southgate, London N11 1PG, United Kingdom.

 

 

4. In this Constitution, unless subject or context otherwise requires, the term:
5. “Gurdwara” shall mean a sanctified place of prayer and assembly in accordance with Sikh religious practices.
6. “The Community” shall mean the Sikh Community.
7. “Sikh” shall mean one who believes in and follows the teachings of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, and regards Shiri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy scripture, as the ever-living Guru of the Sikhs.
8. “Plural shall include singular and the masculine gender shall include feminine and vice versa.”

 

5. AIMS and OBJECTS of the Darbar shall be:
6. To adhere and promote the teachings of the Sikh Scriptures.
7. To preach Sikh religion.
8. To celebrate the anniversaries of the Sikh Gurus, and to arrange “Divans” (congregations) for religious worship.
9. To impart religious and cultural knowledge.
10. To maintain the Gurdwara and all other buildings
11. To establish and maintain a Punjabi School.
12. To introduce care and community welfare services.

II. MEMBERSHIP

 

6. Membership of the Darbar shall be open to all persons, not less than eighteen years of age, who are:
7. a) Sikhs, and subscribe to the aims and objects of the Darbar.
8. b) Residents of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.

 

7. An application of membership must be submitted on a prescribed form and approved by the Executive Committee.

 

8. Ordinary members shall pay an annual subscription of two pounds. Old-age pensioners, widows and disabled persons may, however, be exempted from subscription provided a formal application has been submitted to and approved by the Executive Committee.

 

 

9. A member may become a life member on payment of a single subscription of fifty pounds, subject to Rule 11 (a).

 

10. Membership will run for a calendar year from the first day of January each year, irrespective of the date of the application or approval by the Executive Committee. Grace period to the end of February is, however, allowed for payment of annual subscription.

 

 

11. Membership of the Darbar ceases if:
12. a) A member moves from his original residence to a place outside the boroughs stated in Rule 6(b). However, such a member shall be eligible to reapply for membership, on a prescribed form, provided the Darbar is his main Gurdwara.
13. b) No subscriptions are paid for the last three years.
14. c) A member’s action is contrary to the basic religious tenets.

 

12. a)    Every member shall have a vote.
13. b) Vote shall be cast in person and by ballot.

 

13. a)   New member shall have the right to vote two months after the approval of      his applications.
14. b) Member, in default of payment of annual subscription, forfits his right to vote. However, such right is restored two months after payments of all his arrears.

 

III. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

14. All the affairs of the Darbar including policy, decisions and management of the Darbar shall be vested in the Executive Committee, hereinafter referred to as “The Committee.”

 

15. Subject to Rule 16 below, the committee shall consist of sixteen honorary members as follows:

 

1) President                              2) Vice – President

3) Secretary                             4) Assistant Secretary

5) Treasurer                             6) Assistant Treasurer

7) Librarian                              8) Bhandari

9) Assistant Bhandari                10) Store – Keeper

11) Education Secretary           12) Building Supervisor

13) Assistant Building Supervisor

14) Community Welfare Secretary and two Committee members

 

16. The committee will have the right to nominate up to three Committee Members whereby it’s strength will increase accordingly.

 

17. The President, Vice – President and the Secretary shall be Kesha-Dhari Sikhs.

 

18. The Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Darbar and shall hold office till next Annual General Meeting. The Chairperson and / or the Trustees shall have the charge handed over to the incoming Committee on the same day.

 

19. a) The President, Secretary and the Treasurer shall hold their respective offices for one term only and shall not be eligible for re-election in the Annual General Meeting following.

 

1. b) No other member of the Committee, including the other office-bearers, shall be eligible for re-election after two consecutive years.

 

20. Only those members present in an Annual General Meeting shall participate in the election proceedings.

 

21. No member of the Executive Committee be an Executive Committee Member of any other Gurdwara in the United Kingdom.

 

22. The Committee shall have the right to:
23. Employ such personnel as may be considered necessary.
24. Review honorary appointments regularly after a period of two years.

 

 

IV. OFFICE – BEARERS

 

23. The office-bearers and their functions, inter-alia, shall be ass follows:
24. The President shall,
25. Exercise control, co-ordination and general supervision in the administration of the Darbar.
26. Preside at all meetings except an Annual General Meeting.

iii.      Ensure the implementation of the decisions of the Committee and the General Meetings.

1. Prepare and present annual and other reports to the General Meetings.
2. Affix his signatures on all documents unless otherwise stated.

 

1. The Vice – President shall,
2. Assist the President generally and specifically.
3. Act for the President in his absence.

iii.      Perform such functions as are assigned to him by the Committee.

 

1. The Secretary shall,
2. Conduct and manage Divans.
3. Be responsible for all correspondence, records and custody of all documents, unless otherwise stated.

iii.      Convene all meetings and record their minutes in Punjabi, or, under exceptional circumstances, in English.

1. Give effect to resolutions adopted and decisions taken.
2. Maintain a Member’s Register.

 

1. The Assistant Secretary shall,
2. Assist the Secretary generally and specifically.
3. Act for the Secretary in his absence.

iii.      Maintain an Asset Register.

1. Perform such functions as are assigned to him by the Committee.

 

1. The Treasurer shall,
2. Pay all monies received by the Darbar from any source whatever, without any deductions for any purpose whatever, to the credit of the Darbar’s account in the bank.
3. Keep such accounts as the Committee shall direct and produce all books, documents, property and money in his possession and render a full and clear account at each audit.

iii.      Be responsible for collection of subscription fees from members.

 

1. The Assistant Treasurer shall,
2. Assist the Treasurer generally and specifically.
3. Act for the Treasurer in his absence.

 

1. The Librarian shall,
2. Be responsible for the library and for procuring and distribution of books, magazines, newspapers and any other material of literature.
3. Keep a register to control distribution on loan of all materials of literature.

 

1. The Bhandari shall,
2. Organise cooking and serving of all meals (Langer) in Divans strictly in accordance with religious practices (Gurmat).

 

1. The Assistant Bhandari shall assist the Bhandari generally and specifically.

 

1. The Store – Keeper shall,
2. Be responsible for all stock and store articles.
3. Maintain an up-to-date record thereof.

iii.      Carry out any other functions assigned to him by the Executive Committee.

 

1. The Education Secretary shall be responsible for:
2. The administration of the Punjabi school, and,
3. Other educational activities including Kirtan pursuant to Rule 5(d).

 

1. The Building Supervisor shall,
2. Look after the building and carry out maintenance therefore.
3. Be responsible for all incidental services.

 

1. The Assistant Building Supervisor shall,
2. Assist the Building Supervisor generally and specifically.
3. Act for the Building Supervisor in his absence.

 

1. The Community Welfare Secretary shall be responsible for the introduction and running of the activities like luncheon club, day-centre, keep-fit classes, sports and other similar functions.

V. EXECUTIVE COMMITEE MEETINGS

 

 

24. Meetings of the executive Committee shall be either :­
25. a) Ordinary Meetings to be held monthly, or,
26. b) Special Meetings to dispatch urgent matters.

 

25. a) A notice of every meeting shall be sent to every member of the committee.

 

1. b) Such notice shall be for at least,
   1. Seven days, in case of an Ordinary Meeting, and
   2. Twenty – four hours in case of a Special Meeting.
   3. At all meetings of the Executive Committee,
   4. Quorum shall be formed by eleven members
   5. The Chair shall be taken by the President
   6. Decisions shall be by simple majority
   7. The President shall be, in the event of an equality of votes, entitled to a casting vote.
   8. Any nine members of the Committee by giving at least fourteen days notice may apply to the President or the Secretary to call a meeting for the purpose clearly specified.

 

28. Any member of the Committee, who stays absent from three consecutive Ordinary meetings, without valid reasons, may render himself liable to forfeit his membership of the Committee.

 

29. The Committee shall be competent,

 

1. To take disciplinary action against any member of the Committee or Sub­ Committee and determine his membership thereof.
2. To fill casual vacancies in the Committee
3. To make bye-laws.
4. To appoint Sub-Committees whose members need not necessarily be the members of the Committee. However, it is recommended to form the following Sub-Committees:­

 

1. Administration Sub-Committee.
2. Finance Sub-Committee.

iii.      Building Sub-Committee.

1. Education Sub-Committee.
2. Community Welfare Sub-Committee.

 

Formal introduction of all members of Sub-Committees to the Sangat shall be carried out as soon as possible.

 

All Sub-Committee meetings shall be Chaired by the Office-Bearer or Executive Committee nominee.

 

 

 

VI. GENERAL MEETINGS

 

 

30. The General Meeting shall be either:­
31. An Annual General Meeting, or,
32. An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting, or
33. An Emergency General Meeting.
34. a) Notices of all General Meetings shall be sent to every member, entitled to vote, at his last known address
35. b) A notice in respect of:­
36. An Annual General meeting shall be for not less than fourteen days,
37. An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting shall be for not less than fourteen days,

iii.      An Emergency General Meeting shall be for not less than seven days.

32. a) Quorum necessary for :­
33. An Annual or Extra-Ordinary General Meeting is one – third of the voting membership of the Darbar on the day of the Meeting or thirty members, whichever is more
34. An Emergency General Meeting is one-fifth of the voting membership of the Darbar on the day of the Meeting or twenty members, whichever is more
35. The Meeting may be adjourned for lack of quorum one hour after the time specified.
36. The adjourned Meeting may proceed to transact the business irrespective of the quorum.
37. The Secretary shall call an Extra-Ordinary or an Emergency General Meeting when requested to do so, in writing, by at least fifty members of the Darbar or the Trustees. The purpose of such a request shall be clearly stated. In the event of the Secretary’s failure, the President or the Trustees may call the Meeting.
38. An Annual General Meeting shall be convened on the first Sunday in the month of May, each year, and, in the event of adjournment, the third Sunday of the same month, at 3.00 p.m.

 

The Darbar shall elect an independent Chairperson for the meeting.

 

THE AGENDA shall include:­

 

1. Reading the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and other General Meetings held subsequently
2. Reports of the President and the Trustees.
3. Election of the Trustee, if due.
4. Audited Accounts of the Darbar for the previous year to 31st March, to be presented by the Auditor / Treasurer
5. Collection of relevant records, keys etc. for formal transfer of the charge to the incoming Committee vide (h) below
6. Dissolution of the Committee.
7. Election of the Members to form a new Committee for the ensuing year.
8. Formal transfer of the charge to the incoming Committee.
9. An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting may be called for:­
10. All matters which are extra-ordinary in character and importance.
11. Amendment of the Constitution.
12. Disciplinary action.
13. Any other matter: that the Trustees and the Committee deem necessary to refer to the Darbar for decisions, sanction or confirmation.
14. An Emergency General Meeting may be convened if the exigency so requires.

 

37. a) All matters in an Annual General Meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of the members present
38. b) All matters in Extra-Ordinary and Emergency General Meetings shall be carried through by a majority of two-thirds of the members present

VII. FINANCE

 

38. The Financial Year of the Darbar shall be from the first day of April to thirty-first day of March of the following year.
39. The Darbar shall,
40. Cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to its transactions and its assets and liabilities to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Darbar and to explain its transactions.
41. Take adequate precautions against falsification and for facilitating its discovery.
42. Arrange publication of accounts, provided,
43. They have been previously audited,
44. A report by the auditor has been incorporated stating whether, in his opinion, such audited accounts comply with paragraphs (a) and (b) aforesaid,

iii.      They are signed by the President, Secretary and the Treasurer.

 

40. An account shall be opened in the name of the Darbar at such bank and operated in such manner as the Committee shall decide.

 

41. All cheques drawn or bank orders or any other remittance orders issued, on behalf of the Darbar, shall require the signatures of all the following office-bearers :-

 

1. The President
2. The Treasurer
3. The Secretary.

 

42. a) Receipt of all donations, subscriptions and any other form of revenue shall be duly acknowledged by issue of official receipts of the Darbar.

 

1. b) All offerings including Golak shall be counted by two independent persons and handed over to the Treasurer, who shall issue a formal receipt. Such receipts shall be passed on to the Secretary for records by the aforesaid persons after having put their signatures thereon.

 

43. The committee shall have the power to incur any expenditure in connection with day­ to-day operations of the Gurdwara, School, Day-Centre or any other activity being carried out on a regular basis.

 

44. The Treasurer shall hold a maximum float of one thousand pounds in hand to defray petty expenses approved by the President and the Secretary. Such expenses shall be accountable to the Committee by the Treasurer before reimbursement is approved.

 

45. No property of the Darbar shall be disposed of without the specific approval of the Darbar.

 

46. The Committee shall have no power to borrow or lend funds on behalf of the Darbar.

 

47. All purchase orders on behalf of the Darbar over the sum of five hundred pounds shall be approved by the Committee.

 

48. a) The Committee shall, in each year of account, appoint or re-appoint a qualified auditor to audit the accounts and balance sheet of the Darbar for that year.

 

1. b) No member of the committee or employee of the Darbar shall be eligible to become an auditor of the Darbar.
2. c) An auditor shall be entitled:­

1. T o have access at all times to the books, deeds and accounts of the Darbar and to all other documents relating to its affairs
2. To require from the office-bearers of the Darbar such information and explanations as he thinks necessary for the performance of his duties.

• To attend any General Meeting of the Darbar and to receive all notices of and other communications relating to any General Meeting which a member of the Darbar is entitled to receive.

1. To be heard at any meeting which he attends on any part of the business of the meeting which concerns him as an auditor.
2. d) There shall be at least two audits in a year

 

 

VIII. DISCIPLINE

 

49. Dignity and discipline shall be maintained in all Divans and meetings.

 

50. The Committee may draw bye-laws in connection with the preceding Rule.

 

51. In meetings, permission to speak must be obtained. If the Chairperson calls a member to order, the speaking member shall obey. All expressions shall be courteously addressed to the Chairperson.

 

52. Disciplinary action shall be taken against any member causing a breach of order or discipline of the Darbar or responsible for any conduct or behaviour detrimental to the Darbar.

 

53. The Darbar shall have the powers to expel, suspend any member of the Darbar including the office-bearers or take any other action appropriate in the circumstances provided that: ­

 

1. An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting for the purpose is convened,
2. The allegations are discussed in the presence of the parties concerned. If one party is absent without valid reason, the decision in the matter shall be taken ex-­parte,
3. Voting is by ballot.
4. In no case shall the member affected have any claim for refund of subscription.

 

 

IX. TRUSTEES

 

54. There shall be three Trustees of the Darbar at anyone time. All the Trustees shall act jointly as a body and meet regularly. All Trustees shall be Kesha-dhari Sikhs.

 

 

55. Trustees shall be elected at Annual General Meetings, by ballot for a term of six years. Retirement of Trustees shall be on a rotation basis, every two years.

 

 

56. Nomination for a Trustee shall be on a prescribed form submitted to the Secretary on or before the last day of February in a calendar year.

 

 

57. A Trustee or a candidate therefore, shall be: ­
58. A member of the Darbar.
59. A resident of the United Kingdom.
60. A house-owner.
61. Without a criminal record.
62. Of sound mind and proven integrity.
63. Over forty and under seventy years of age at the time of application.
64. Other than a member of the Executive Committee, or an auditor of the Darbar or holder of any other Trusteeship, or a declared insolvent person.

 

58. In the event of a vacancy, the Committee shall be empowered to fill the same, temporarily, in accordance with the rules, and concurrently, also seek further applications from the members. In the following Annual General meeting, either a new Trustee will be elected or the temporary appointment shall be confirmed. This Trustee shall hold the position for the residual period of the original term only.

 

 

59. The Trustees shall receive copies of all notices and accounts of the Darbar and correspondence relating to the property and assets of the Darbar.

 

60. All the property and assets belonging to the Darbar shall be vested in the Trustees.

 

61. The Trustees shall not sell, lease, exchange, mortgage or charge the property and other assets of the Darbar without the prior approval of the Darbar.

 

62. No Trustee shall buy, form or sell to the Darbar any property or any other assets or derive any personal or impersonal financial gain or any other benefit in the administration of the Trust.

 

63. The Trustees can sue or be sued on behalf of the Darbar.

 

64. All deeds, documents, titles and securities shall be held by the Trustees, who shall take such measures for the safe custody and preservation thereof, at the expense of the Darbar, as they may think fit and shall produce them for inspection when required by the Executive Committee or the Darbar.

 

65. The Trustees shall have the right to examine all records, accounts and assets of the Darbar and also to be responsible for the interpretation and the application of the Constitution

 

66. A Trustee or Trustees can be removed from the office only by the Darbar.

 

67. In all other matters, the rules and regulations of the Charity Commission shall prevail.

X. MISCELLANEOUS

 

68. Under no circumstances shall the property or income of the Darbar be distributed or shared among its members or any of them.

 

69. The Darbar shall be competent to mediate and arbitrate in disputes between members who expressly seek such intervention of the Darbar.

 

70. Every member of the Darbar shall be entitled to a copy of the Constitution gratuitously. But, additional copies may be obtained on payment of a charge of two pounds per copy.

 

71. The Darbar shall not be dissolved except in the circumstances beyond its control. In such an event, the Trustees shall take necessary action after approval of the Darbar to discharge all liabilities and to transfer assets to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandak Committee, Amristar, Punjab, India or to any other Sikh charitable Institution.

 

 

NANAK DARBAR NORTH LONDON

136 High Road, New Southgate, London N11 1PJ.

 

NOMINATION FORM FOR A TRUSTEE

 

NOMINEE :- 

 

Name…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Date of Birth……………………………………….Membership No…………………………

Address…………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………

address of the property owned, if different:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

PROPOSED BY:-

Name………………………………………………………..Membership No……………………

Signature…………………………………………………….

 

SECONDED BY:

Name…………………………………………………………Membership No…………………….

Signature………………………………………………………

 

DECLARATION BY NOMINEE :-

 

I…………………………………………………………………do hereby solemnly declare that:

1. a) I am a member of the Darbar.
2. b) I am not a member of the Executive Committee or an Auditor of the Darbar, or any other

religious institution.

1. c) I hold no other Trusteeship.
2. d) I am a house owner.
3. e) I am a resident of the United Kingdom.
4. f) I am without a criminal record.
5. g) I am not a declared insolvent.
6. h) I am of sound mind, and proven integrity.
7. i) I am over forty and under seventy years of age.
8. j) I shall act solely in the interests of the Darbar and abide by its Constitution.
9. k) I shall inform the Darbar immediately of any change in the aforesaid.

Signed by the Nominee in the presence of the Proposer and Seconder.

 

Signature……………………………………….

 

DATED THIS………………………..DAY  OF  ……………………………………..