Societies Registration Act 1860
Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Societies Registration Act 1860 is a law under which a group can register a society for literary, scientific, charitable or similar purposes. Seven or more persons are needed. They file a memorandum, a document setting out the society's name and aims, and name a governing body to run it. Many states have adopted the Act with changes or made their own versions. A society is one of the most common legal forms for NGOs in India.
Example
Suppose seven teachers want to run free evening classes for street children. They can register a society under the 1860 Act by filing a memorandum and naming a governing body. The society then becomes a recognised legal body that can apply for grants.
Don't confuse with
- Public charitable trust: trustees hold property for a public purpose under state trust laws. There is no seven-member rule.
- Cooperative society: members pool resources for their own shared benefit and run it on "one member, one vote". It comes under cooperative laws, not the 1860 Act.