[Drafted in 1990 by a Constitution Committee consisting of Jayanth Banavar (Penn State University), Umesh Garg (University of Notre Dame), and Sathyavathi Ramavataram (Brookhaven National Laboratory).  Ratified by the ACIPA Membership in January 1991.]

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of the Association shall be the AMERICAN CHAPTER OF THE INDIAN PHYSICS ASSOCIATION. The Association shall be known as ACIPA.

ARTICLE II. OFFICES

The administrative offices of the Association shall be located with the Executive Secretary (see Article VI). The Executive Committee shall be at liberty to shift the location of the offices in the interest of better administration, after giving prior intimation to the Members.

ARTICLE III. OBJECTIVES

1. The Association shall be a Non-Profit and Non-Political body.
2. The main objective of the Association shall be to develop a spirit of unity among Indian physicists living in North America and to establish better communication between these physicists and their brethren in India, for mutual benefit.
3. The ACIPA shall provide a common platform to its members to interact with each other and with Physicists/Scientists in India and elsewhere.

The following categories of Members shall be recognized:

1. Ordinary Member. All Scientists in general and Physicists in particular shall be entitled to become Ordinary Members on payment of an annual recurring fee to be determined by the Executive Committee from time to time.
2. Life Member. All Ordinary Members who pay a one-time contribution in an amount determined by the Executive Committee shall be Life Members. Life Members need not pay any further annual recurring fees.
3. Honorary Members. Honorary membership may be granted to any distinguished person.

1. All members shall be entitled to receive all publications of the Association including any Newsletter at such concessional rates as may be fixed by the Executive Committee.
2. Ordinary and Life Members alone shall be entitled to receive notices for and attend General meetings of members and to vote thereat.

1. The activities of the Association shall be controlled by an Executive Committee consisting of five members, four of whom viz. President, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting by Members entitled to vote thereat. In addition, the immediate past president shall be an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee and the Office bearers shall hold office until the next elections.
2. The elections of the Office Bearers would be held once every two years. Each incumbent would be eligible for succeeding himself/herself once, except in case of the Executive Secretary who can succeed himself/herself indefinitely.
3. The duties and responsibilities of the Office Bearers shall be fixed by the Executive Committee. Ordinarily, the President shall preside over meetings of the Executive Committee and General Body Meetings; the Secretary shall be in charge of the day-to-day activities of the Association; the Treasurer shall control the finances and funds of the Association; the Executive Secretary shall maintain the "administrative offices" of the Association.
4. In case the membership of the Executive Committee falls below five, due to any reason, the existing members may nominate any other member(s) as Executive Committee Member(s) to function as such till the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting. The Executive Committee may also nominate any distinguished person to serve on the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity, without the right to vote.
5. Only Ordinary Members who have paid their annual fees up-to-date or Life Members shall be entitled to be nominated to become Executive Committee Members.
6. The Executive Committee may frame Rules, not inconsistent with these Articles, for the conduct of its business. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be by simple majority.
7. The quorum for meetings of the Executive Committee shall be three members. "Meetings" may be held via "conference call" or exchange of electronic mail, the records of which would be kept. Resolutions may be passed in meetings or by circulation.

1. There shall be at least one meeting every year called the Annual General Meeting. This meeting shall discuss the accounts of the previous year and approve the same; and elect the members of the Executive Committee and the Office Bearers. All other General Meetings shall be termed Special General Body Meetings.
2. A special General Body Meeting may be requisitioned by at least 50 Members entitled to vote thereat or by one-third of the members entitled to vote, by giving notice in writing to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall call for a General Meeting within two months of such notice.
3. A notice of not less than 21 clear days shall be given for any General Meeting.
4. The Executive Committee may call for a General Meeting at any time.
5. Voting at a General Body Meeting may be by mail or in person. Resolutions shall be passed by simple majority. Majority shall be reckoned taking into consideration the aggregate of the number of Members personally attending the meeting and the postal ballots received.

1. The accounts of the Association shall be closed every year by the 31^st day of December. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to have the accounts laid before the Annual General Meeting within five months of the end of the accounting year. The accounts report copies shall accompany every notice for the Annual General Meeting.
2. The Bank Account in the name of the Association shall be opened, operated and closed by any two Office bearers of the Association, jointly, as may be decided by the Executive Committee. All bills, notes, documents may be signed by any one Office Bearer authorized by the Executive Committee.
3. The Treasurer shall follow acceptable accounting practices in maintaining the accounts. No formal audit would be required except when specifically asked for by at least one of the Executive Committee members or at least ten Ordinary Members; the Executive Committee shall then order the audit and appropriate funds for such an audit.

1. The basic and fundamental objectives of the Association are not subject to alteration or amendment.
2. Any amendment to other matters may be effected by a two-thirds majority vote in a Special General Body Meeting convened for this purpose after due notice or by a mail ballot.

ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION

1. Dissolution of the Association may be effected by a two-thirds majority vote in a Special General Body Meeting convened for this purpose after due notice. After such vote the Executive Committee shall continue in office to take necessary action to give effect to the decision of the General Body.
2. On dissolution, all liabilities shall be paid off and the excess of assets over liabilities, if any, shall be distributed as follows:
1. Refund of remaining dues to Life Members (to be calculated as the dues initially paid minus a sum equal to the yearly dues times the number of years that the membership has remained in effect); in the event that sufficient funds are not available to pay all the "remaining dues" as defined herein, partial refunds shall be made as determined by the Executive Committee.
2. Any funds remaining after (a) shall not be distributable amongst the Members, but shall be handed over to any other Association with like objectives, as the General Body may direct.