Societies Registration Act, 1860

The Societies Registration Act, 1860
Council of the Governor General of India
  • An Act for the Registration of Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies
CitationAct No. 21 of Yr. 1860
Passed byCouncil of the Governor General of India
Passed21 May 1860
Commenced21 May 1860
Status: In force

The Societies Registration Act, 1860 is a legislation in British India which allows the registration of entities generally involved in the benefit of society – education, health, employment etc.

The British Indian Empire, with a wish to encourage such activities and to promote the formal organisation of groups of like minded people, incorporated the Act 21 of 1860, in other words, the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860), which came into force on 21 May 1860.

In post-independence India, the Act continues until today and being an Act of Parliament, comes under the Right to Information Act, wherein the government is legally responsible to give any information requested by any citizen of India with respect to any society.[1][2][3][4]

In Bangladesh,[5][6] Burma[7][8] and Pakistan,[9][10] all previously part of the British Raj, the Act also continues. In Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, similar legislations for the registration of societies are also in place.

  1. ^ "SOCIETIES REGISTRATION ACT, 1860" (PDF). Ministry of corporate affairs (Government of India).
  2. ^ "Societies Registration Act, 1860" (PDF). National Informatics Centre | Govt. of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. ^ "The Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960" (PDF). National Informatics Centre | Govt. of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2021. [page needed]
  4. ^ "The Societies Registration Act, 1860". Government of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023.
  5. ^ "MSF | Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Societies Registration Act 1860".
  7. ^ "India Act XXI, 1860 – The Societies Registration Act | Online Burma/Myanmar Library".
  8. ^ "Procedure for registration of Societies/ NGOs/ Mosques/Madaris/ Trust/ Foundation under Societies Registration Act, 1860" (PDF). Pakistan Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Registration of NGO / NPO – ICT Administration".