The following persons are eligible to be considered for admission as ordinary members of the Club:

A working journalist (including persons in positions such as artist, librarian, photographer, calligrapher, index assistants), hereafter referred to as ‘journalist’, who is employed in a news agency, registered newspaper or magazine/periodical – excluding house magazines, annuals, directories, casual and festival publications.

OR

A journalist employed by internet news and feature companies or electronic news media, including radio and television channels – including a person in a position such as news TV cameraperson, producer, etc., who is engaged in the collection, analysis and dissemination of news or in the production of news and news-based programmes and current affairs programmes.

PROVIDED

That he/she has a minimum of three years' prior experience as a journalist and that he/she depends upon such employment as the main source of livelihood – a prerequisite for a person to become an ordinary member.

A journalist who has been a member of the Club and has been in the profession for more than 15 years in journalism, and has not joined any other career line or continues to write on a freelance basis, has the option to remain as an ordinary member with voting rights, provided such a person does not fall into any other category of Club membership that might attract higher fees or levies.

Criteria for admission:

A. The application for ordinary membership shall contain, inter alia, the following information about the applicant

• length of service in the profession,
• age,
• job description,
• membership period before application (in case of application for re-entry to the Club), and
• an undertaking to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of the Club and not to bring the Club into disrepute;

B. The application will be accompanied by proof of employment.

C. In keeping with the limited physical facilities available in the Club and consequent constraint for space, admission to the category of ordinary membership shall be restricted to 100 new members or 10 per cent of the existing total membership in a particular year, whichever is lower. Replacement of such of those members, whose names are struck off from the club membership rolls after September 30 every year for non-payment of annual subscription or due to other reasons specified in Article 7 viz., termination of membership, shall not be covered by the above-mentioned restriction clause.

D. If the documents submitted by an applicant are found to be dubious, false or bogus, the proposer and seconder of the applicant shall be liable to a penalty that may involve a maximum suspension from membership for a period of six months, and/or a fine of up to Rs.2,500 and/or disbarment from the right to propose or second any new applicant.

E. An ordinary member, against whom disciplinary action is taken, shall ipso facto stand debarred from contesting elections. Nor shall he/she be entitled even to propose or second any other member of the Club as a candidate for elections for a minimum period of three years.

F. Admission fees and annual subscription fees for ordinary members shall be fixed by the managing committee from time to time. The fees will be payable in advance. New members shall pay subscription for the full year irrespective of their date of admission.