Decision on Usurpation of Powers Given to the Residents' Assembly Over Admission and Termination

Overview

The Auroville Residents' Assembly conducted an Emergency RAD (Residents' Assembly Decision-making) process in January 2024 to address the Governing Board's publication of new Admission and Termination Regulations that the community viewed as usurping the Residents' Assembly's statutory powers. This decision represented a strong assertion of the Residents' Assembly's constitutional authority under the Auroville Foundation Act.

Participation and Results

• Total participants: 710 registered residents

• Quorum requirement: 10% of eligible residents (240 votes required)

• Total eligible voters: 2,398 confirmed Aurovilians (as of January 2024)

• Outcome: The resolution was overwhelmingly approved with 98.7% support

The Decision

Result: APPROVED with 98.7% support (701 votes in favour, 4 against, 5 "don't know")

The approved resolution stated: "The Residents' Assembly resolves that the new 'Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2023' published in the Gazette of India on the 4th of January, 2024, by the Secretary of the Governing Board, is an overreach by the Governing Board and usurps the powers given to the Residents' Assembly as per the Foundation Act."

What This Decision Means

The approved resolution represents the community's rejection of what it viewed as unconstitutional governance actions. The community formally challenged new regulations that would have transferred admission and termination authority away from the Residents' Assembly to other bodies.

The contested regulations and community response:

• The 2023 Admission and Termination Regulations published in the Gazette of India on January 4, 2024, were seen as fundamentally altering the balance of power established by the Auroville Foundation Act

• The resolution emphasized that the Residents' Assembly is "one of the three statutory authorities of the Auroville Foundation" with specific functions detailed in the Foundation Act

• The community stressed its commitment to developing "Auroville in accordance with its original Charter" as mandated by the Foundation Act's first paragraph

• The resolution asserted the Residents' Assembly's "right to carry out its functions as detailed in the Auroville Foundation Act"

Key implications of this decision:

• The near-unanimous vote (98.7%) demonstrated the community's unified rejection of what it saw as the Governing Board exceeding its authority

• The community affirmed its understanding that admission and termination powers belong exclusively to the Residents' Assembly under the Foundation Act

• The decision reinforced that major changes to governance structures require community consent rather than unilateral administrative action

• The resolution provides a formal community position that could be referenced in any legal proceedings regarding the disputed regulations

The resolution served notice that the community would not accept regulatory changes that diminished the Residents' Assembly's role without proper consultation and consent through democratic processes.