Department of Posts Clarifies Guidelines on Convenor Appointments and Ad Hoc Committees – Separate Procedures for Membership Verification
Department of Posts Issues Consolidated Guidelines on Appointment of Convenors and Approval of Ad Hoc Committees
Clear distinction between membership enrolment, online verification responsibilities and approval of association bodies – Guidelines applicable to recognised and unrecognised associations
The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, has issued consolidated guidelines regarding the appointment of Convenors for membership enrolment and the approval of ad hoc committees of Service Associations and GDS Associations.
The instructions, issued vide Directorate Letter No. SR-13-03/2019-SR-DoP dated 30 October 2026, aim to bring uniformity among Postal Circles in dealing with requests received from various Service Associations, including unrecognised associations, for appointment of Convenors and approval of ad hoc committees at Circle and Divisional levels.
The latest clarification is particularly significant in view of the ongoing online Membership Verification process and migration of association-related data to the newly introduced Membership Verification Portal.
1. Appointment of Convenors for New Branches with Zero Membership
As per Directorate Letter No. SR-10/5/2024-SR-DOP dated 17 April 2025, an Association having zero membership in a particular Circle or Division is permitted to appoint a Convenor for enrolling new members.
The Convenor shall be authorised by:
•The National-level Association in the case of a Circle.
•The Circle-level Association in the case of a Division.
The appointed Convenor will be treated as an authorised signatory for signing membership authorisation forms of new members.
Once the Association achieves the required membership, it can constitute its regular body of office-bearers at the Circle or Divisional level in accordance with the applicable rules.
Importantly, appointment of a Convenor for membership enrolment does not automatically amount to approval of an ad hoc committee.
2. Convenors for the Online Membership Verification Portal
A separate provision has been introduced vide Directorate Letter No. 10/6/2026-SR-DOP dated 26 October 2026.
Under these guidelines, Convenors can be appointed in the absence of the relevant office-bearers for carrying out the online Membership Verification process.
A significant clarification is that zero membership is not a prerequisite for appointing a Convenor under this provision.
For example:
•Where a Divisional Secretary is unavailable, the concerned Circle Secretary may appoint a Convenor for that Division.
•Where no Circle Secretary is available, the General Secretary concerned may appoint a Convenor for the Circle and the Division, as applicable.
The appointed Convenor will perform the functions of the Divisional Secretary or Circle Secretary, as the case may be, specifically for the Membership Verification process.
3. Data Migration and Assignment of Roles
The guidelines dated 26 October 2026 also prescribe the procedure for migrating office-bearers' details from physical records to the online Membership Verification Portal.
The data of one office-bearer at each level shall be migrated:
•Divisional level – Divisional Secretary.
•Circle level – Circle Secretary.
•National level – General Secretary.
The concerned Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) shall undertake data migration through the designated DDO login in APT IT 2.0 after proper scrutiny of physical records and supporting documents.
It is important to understand that migration of data alone does not confer the corresponding role in the portal.
The actual assignment of roles will be carried out by the competent authorities:
•Divisional Secretary – Divisional Head.
•Circle Secretary – Circle Head.
•General Secretary – Directorate Head.
The competent authority must verify the relevant records and supporting documents before assigning the respective roles.
4. Approval of Ad Hoc Committees – A Separate Process
The Department has reiterated that approval of ad hoc committees must be examined independently under Directorate Letter No. 19-1/89-SR dated 20 January 1989.
The existing instructions clearly state that ad hoc committees should not ordinarily be approved, as they are against the basic tenets of democracy. However, in unavoidable circumstances, approval may be considered subject to prescribed conditions.
The important conditions include:
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The constitution of the concerned Union/Association must contain a specific provision permitting the appointment of an ad hoc committee.
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No ad hoc committee shall be approved at any level for the formation of a new branch.
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Ad hoc committees at Circle Office/administrative office level require approval from the Department of Posts for a maximum period of three months.
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Ad hoc committees at Divisional level require approval from the Head of the Circle for a maximum period of three months.
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The proposed ad hoc committee shall consist of not more than four members, including one Convenor. The members must otherwise be eligible to be elected as office-bearers, and no related case should be pending in any court.
The request must also explain the necessity in detail and be supported by the relevant resolution of the CWC or Circle Working Committee, as applicable.
5. Convenor Appointment and Ad Hoc Committee Approval Cannot Be Clubbed Together
One of the most important clarifications in the latest Directorate communication concerns combined requests seeking both appointment of a Convenor and approval of an ad hoc committee.
The Department has categorically clarified that these two matters must be examined separately.
•Appointment of a Convenor shall be considered under the instructions dated 17 April 2025 and/or 26 October 2026, depending on the circumstances.
•Approval of an ad hoc committee shall independently be examined under the instructions dated 20 January 1989 and other applicable provisions.
However, considering the ongoing Membership Verification process and the need for timely migration of data, requests for appointment of Convenors may be given priority, subject to fulfilment of the prescribed conditions.
This distinction is important because a Convenor appointed for membership enrolment or online verification does not automatically acquire the status or authority of an approved ad hoc committee.
6. Guidelines Applicable to All Associations
The consolidated instructions apply to all Service Associations and GDS Associations, whether recognised or unrecognised, subject to the relevant rules and instructions.
All Heads of Postal Circles have been requested to ensure uniform implementation and communicate the guidelines to all concerned authorities.
Conclusion: Administrative Facilitation Without Diluting Democratic Principles
The latest clarification by the Department of Posts is an important step towards removing ambiguity in the functioning of Service Associations and GDS Associations.
By clearly distinguishing between the appointment of Convenors for membership enrolment, appointment of Convenors for online verification and approval of ad hoc committees, the Department has established separate procedures for different administrative requirements.
The decision to give priority to Convenor appointments during the ongoing Membership Verification exercise is a welcome measure to ensure that the verification and migration process is not held up merely because the relevant office-bearers are unavailable.
At the same time, retaining the existing safeguards for approval of ad hoc committees reinforces the importance of democratic functioning, constitutional provisions and accountability within Service Associations.
The central message of these guidelines is clear: facilitating membership enrolment and online verification should not be confused with granting approval to an ad hoc body. Both processes have their own independent procedures and must be dealt with accordingly.