New Entry and Exit regulations

The Governing Board (GB) has approved new ‘Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents Regulations’, and published them in part III of the Gazette of India on January 4th, 2024. The new Regulations, which replace the Regulations of 2020, have been made without consultation with the Residents’ Assembly and hand power to the Secretary and the GB to determine who lives in Auroville.

The Entry Board and the newly-formed Exit Review Group, have been replaced by an “Admissions and Terminations Scrutinising Committee” (ATSC), consisting of five members, at least two of which are residents nominated by the GB, based on a call for nomination from the Residents Assembly. The three other members of the Committee, described as Non Resident members, are nominated by the Chairperson of the GB and shall be persons having knowledge and expertise in the field of administration.

The task of the ATSC will be to scrutinise all applications for admission as volunteers, Newcomers or residents; decide each case on merit; and, after completing the process of consultation with the Residents’ Assembly, convey its decision to the Secretary. The ATSC will also verify applications related to visa matters and recommend to the Secretary an appropriate visa for an applicant and his or her descendants or wards.

In addition, the ATSC will scrutinise all complaints, information or reports received against a volunteer, a Newcomer or resident made by any resident or anyone, for violation of the Auroville Admission or Auroville Residence Criteria, and decide each case on merit, and, after completing due process of consultation with the Residents’ Assembly, convey its recommendations to the Secretary.

The Secretary has been given the power to either accept the decision of the Admissions and Terminations Scrutinising Committee or disagree, for reasons to be recorded in writing. The new Regulations also constitute an Appellate Committee of three members of the GB which will decide on appeals filed against the rejection of an application for admission, or against termination.

Lastly, the new Regulations state that if the Central Government has reasons to believe that any volunteer, Newcomer, resident or any other person in Auroville, is a threat to national security or possible offender under any Act administered in India, it shall communicate the need for removal of such person or necessary action to the GB through the Secretary, and the GB shall immediately cause such communication to be put in action with immediate effect.

On January 9th, the Working Committee supported by the Auroville Foundation (AVFO-WCom) circulated the call of the AVFO for self-nominations to be members in the ATSC.

On January 15th, the Auroville Foundation Office locked the office of the Entry Board without any prior information. This lockout comes nearly 1.5 years after the Entry Board and Service were locked out of their Google Workspaces.