The Constitution

10. General Council

The General Council shall consist of the following:

1. The President;
   
2. The Financial Adviser;
   
3. Five persons nominated by the Government of India of whom one each shall be a representative of the Department of Culture, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Book Trust and two shall be other nominees;
   
4. One person from each of the States/Union Territories enumerated in the Constitution of India, as nominated by the outgoing General Council from a panel of a maximum of three names recommended by the State/UT Akademies and where there are no State/UT Akademies or where there are more than one State/UT Akademi, by the State Government/ UT administration;
          The nominees shall be eminent persons in the field of letters and not necessarily functionaries of the Government or the Union Territory administration;
   
5. One person to represent each of the languages enumerated in the Constitution of India and any other such language which may be recognized by the Akademi from time to time. The person shall be nominated by the outgoing General Council from a panel of a maximum of three names recommended by the respective recognized Literary Associations from amongst the list of such recognized Associations maintained by the Akademi which shall be final and conclusive in this regard.
   
6. One person to represent each of a maximum of 20 Universities having PG Department in Humanities. These 20 names shall be selected by the outgoing General Council from the recommendations received from any University having a PG Department in Humanities;
          No University shall be represented for two successive terms;
          Each of the 20 persons selected shall be from a different University and each of the Universities so represented shall be from a different State and/or Union Territory;
7. Not more than eight persons eminent in the field of letters to be selected in their individual capacity by the outgoing General Council;
   
8. One representative each of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations as nominated by the respective organisation;
   
9. One representative of Indian Publishers as selected by the outgoing General Council on the basis of recommendations received from various Publishers’ Associations of India;
   
10. One representative of the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation as nominated by the Foundation;
    
11. No one shall be a member of the General Council for more than two terms with the proviso that the two terms shall not be consecutive and that this rule shall apply to all the members nominated in all categories except ex-officio members and eminent writers under clause (vii) above.

The General Council shall continue for five calendar years and the expiration of the period of five calendar years shall operate as a dissolution of the General Council.

11. Functions of the General Council

The General Council shall have the following functions and powers namely:

1. to elect the President in accordance with para 5;
   
2. to elect the Vice President from among its members;
   
3. to elect members of the Executive Board in accordance with paragraph 13(v) and to prescribe the rules of procedure of the Executive Board;
   
4. to elect members of the Finance Committee in accordance with paragraph 15 (iii) and to prescribe the rules of procedure of the Finance Committee;
   
5. to approve the annual budget and annual accounts of the Akademi recommended by the Executive Board;
   
6. to elect the representatives of States/UTs, languages, Universities, Publishers and nominate eight eminent persons as prescribed in clauses (iv), (v), (vi), (vii) and (ix) of para 10 respectively;
   
7. to consider and approve programmes and specific projects proposed by the Executive Board;
   
8. to elect on the recommendation of the Executive Board;
   (a) Literary persons of outstanding merit as Fellows of the Akademi, provided that the number of such Fellows shall at no time exceed twenty-one;
   (b) Honorary Fellows of the Akademi from among literary persons of outstanding merit who are not nationals of India provided that the number of such Honorary Fellows shall at no time exceed ten; and
   
9. to frame its own rules, regulations, bye-laws and rules of procedure.

12. Meeting of the General Council

The General Council shall ordinarily meet once every year at a place and on a date to be fixed by the President. A special meeting may be called at any other time by the President or by the Executive Board either on its own initiative or at the request of not less than two-thirds of the whole number of members of the General Council.

13. Executive Board

The Executive Board shall consist of the following members, namely:

1. The President;
   
2. The Vice President;
   
3. The Financial Adviser;
   
4. Two members nominated by the Government of India from among their nominees on the General Council : one representative from the Ministry of Culture and one other nominee;
   
5. One person to represent each of the languages enumerated in the Constitution of India and such other languages as may be recognised by the Akademi elected by the General Council from among its members.

The President may, at his discretion, invite to any meeting of the Executive Board a member of the General Council in the interest of encouraging languages other than those referred to in the preceding sentence and involving them more closely with the activities of the Akademi.

14. Functions of the Executive Board

The Executive Board shall have the following powers and functions namely:

1. to exercise the executive authority of the Akademi subject to policy directives of the General Council;
   
2. to be responsible for the supervision and control of work of the Akademi and its office;
   
3. to consider and prepare projects for submission to the General Council;
   
4. to draw up the annual budget of the Akademi after considering recommendations of the Finance Committee to be submitted for approval of the General Council;
   

5. on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, shall consider the budget estimates and annual accounts of the Akademi, make recommendations thereon to the General Council;

6. to consider and propose to the General Council names of literary persons of outstanding merit to be elected as Fellows and Honorary Fellows of the Akademi; and

7. to appoint the Secretary of the Akademi and other members of the staff except those the power to appoint whom is delegated to the Secretary.

15. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall consist of the following members, namely:

1. The Financial Adviser;
   
2. One nominee of the Government of India not necessarily from among the members of the General Council;
   
3. One representative of the General Council (other than the Vice President) of the Akademi;
   
4. One nominee of the Executive Board not necessarily from among members of the General Council; and
   
5. The Vice President of the Akademi who shall be the ex-officio Chairperson of the Finance Committee.

16. Functions of the Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall consider the budget estimates of the Akademi, make recommendations thereon to the Executive Board and prescribe the limit for total expenditure within a financial year.

17. Audit

The accounts of the Akademi shall be audited by the Auditor General of India.

18. General

1. Any rule made or decision taken by the General Council or by any authority of the Akademi except where the authority acts in accordance with its powers and functions as defined in this Resolution may be amended or set aside by the General Council.
   
2. The General Council may by a majority of not less than three-fourths of the members present and voting amend this Constitution in such manner as the General Council may decide except that no amendments to the objects of the Sahitya Akademi shall be deemed to have been duly passed without the approval of the Government of India.
   
3. All casual vacancies among the members (other than ex-officio members) of the General Council or any other body of the Akademi shall be filled as soon as it is convenient by the existing person or body and the person appointed, elected or co-opted to a casual vacancy shall be a member of such authority or body for the residue of the term for which the person whose place he fills would have been a member.
   
4. No act or proceeding of the General Council or Executive Board or Finance Committee shall be invalid by reason only of the existence of any vacancy amongst its members or any defect in its Constitution.

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