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Industrial Relations Code, 2020 · CHAPTER III — TRADE UNIONS

Section 8: Application for registration, alteration of name and procedure thereof

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026

Section 8 — Governs application for registration, alteration of name and procedure thereof and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) Every application for registration of a Trade Union shall be made to the Registrar electronically or otherwise and be accompanied by— (a) a declaration to be made by an affidavit in such form and manner as may be prescribed;

Full official textSource checked: 20 August 20260 direct Central Rule link(s)

Current-law status

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.

Primary sources

Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗

Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does

Operative clauses

(1) Every application for registration of a Trade Union shall be made to the Registrar electronically or otherwise and be accompanied by— (a) a declaration to be made by an affidavit in such form and manner as may be prescribed;
(2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared in such form and containing such particulars, as may be prescribed.
(3) The Registrar may call for further information for the purpose of satisfying himself that the application complies with the provisions of this Code and the Trade Union is entitled for registration under this Code, and may refuse to register the Trade Union until such information is furnished.
(4) If the name under which the Trade Union is proposed to be registered is identical with that of an existing registered Trade Union or in the opinion of the Registrar so nearly resembles the name of an existing Trade Union that such name is likely to deceive the public or the members of either Trade Union, the Registrar shall require the persons applying for altering the name of the Trade Union and shall refuse…

Provisos, explanations & qualifications

Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, resolution adopted by the members of the Trade Union means, in the case of a Trade Union, being a federation or a central organisation of Trade Unions, the resolution adopted by the members of each of the member Trade Unions, meeting separately.

Thresholds and timelines in the text

(2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared in such form and containing such particulars, as may be prescribed.

Actors expressly appearing in the text

Trade union

Full statutory text — Section 8

Official English text transcribed from the current India Code consolidation; page headers/line breaks are normalised for web reading. The Gazette/India Code PDF remains authoritative for typography, amendment footnotes and schedules.

8. Application for registration, alteration of name and procedure thereof.—(1) Every

application for registration of a Trade Union shall be made to the Registrar electronically or otherwise

and be accompanied by—

        (a) a declaration to be made by an affidavit in such form and manner as may be prescribed;

        (b) copy of the rules of the Trade Union together with a copy of the resolution by the members

   of the Trade Union adopting such rules;

        (c) a copy of the resolution adopted by the members of the Trade Union authorising the

   applicants to make an application for registration; and



       (d) in the case of a Trade Union, being a federation or a central organisation of Trade Unions,

   a copy of the resolution adopted by the members of each of the member Trade Unions, meeting

   separately, agreeing to constitute a federation or a central organisation of Trade Unions.

       Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, resolution adopted by the members of the Trade

   Union means, in the case of a Trade Union, being a federation or a central organisation of Trade

   Unions, the resolution adopted by the members of each of the member Trade Unions, meeting

   separately.

   (2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an

application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a

general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared in such form and containing

such particulars, as may be prescribed.

   (3) The Registrar may call for further information for the purpose of satisfying himself that the

application complies with the provisions of this Code and the Trade Union is entitled for registration

under this Code, and may refuse to register the Trade Union until such information is furnished.

   (4) If the name under which the Trade Union is proposed to be registered is identical with that of an

existing registered Trade Union or in the opinion of the Registrar so nearly resembles the name of an

existing Trade Union that such name is likely to deceive the public or the members of either Trade

Union, the Registrar shall require the persons applying for altering the name of the Trade Union and

shall refuse to register the Trade Union until such alteration has been made.

How to apply this provision

Primary statutory test — (1) Every application for registration of a Trade Union shall be made to the Registrar electronically or otherwise and be accompanied by— (a) a declaration to be made by an affidavit in such form and manner as may be prescribed;
Additional operative limb — (2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared in such form and containing such particulars, as may be prescribed.
Qualification / exception to test — Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, resolution adopted by the members of the Trade Union means, in the case of a Trade Union, being a federation or a central organisation of Trade Unions, the resolution adopted by the members of each of the member Trade Unions, meeting separately.
Numerical or timing control — (2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared in such form and containing such particulars, as may be prescribed.
Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Trade union.

Why this is section-specific: the operative-clause, exception, threshold and cross-reference panels above are extracted from Section 8 itself rather than a generic “trigger/control/evidence” template.

Rules, forms and cross-references

Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Forms mapped

No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.

Other sections cited in this text

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Related Labour Hub resources

Model Standing Orders, 2026 Labour litigation

A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.

Worked example

When an event triggers application for registration, alteration of name and procedure thereof, record the trigger date, competent authority, prescribed rule/form, filing or decision step, service/acknowledgement and final outcome. A statutory point to test is: “(2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared i” Also test the express qualification/proviso before concluding the result.

Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.

Q&A — Section 8

What does Section 8 of the Industrial Relations Code cover?

What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 8?

The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) Every application for registration of a Trade Union shall be made to the Registrar electronically or otherwise and be accompanied by— (a) a declaration to be made by an affidavit in such form and manner as may be prescribed;” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.

Does Section 8 contain a proviso or explanation?

Yes. A qualification extracted from the official text is: “Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, resolution adopted by the members of the Trade Union means, in the case of a Trade Union, being a federation or a central organisation of Trade Unions, the resolution adopted by the members of each of the member Trade Unions, meeting separately.”

What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 8?

The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “(2) Where a Trade Union has been in existence for more than one year before the making of an application for its registration, there shall be delivered to the Registrar, together with the application, a general statement of the assets and liabilities of the Trade Union prepared in such form and containing such particulars, as may be prescribed.” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.

Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 8?

No direct Central Rule is recorded in the current concordance. That does not exclude a relevant scheme, notification, State rule or enabling provision.

Is Section 8 currently operative?

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5320(E); use the current India Code consolidation because the Code also reflects the 2026 amendment/transition framework.

Source & verification trail

Act: Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗

Central Rules: Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 342(E), 8 May 2026 ↗

Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗

Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.

Reliance note: This page is an educational legal-reference layer. Verify the current official text, the applicable Central/State rules, notifications, schemes and judicial decisions before acting on a live matter.