Cancellation & Refund Policy

1. Who we are and what this covers

This policy is issued by the Global Kayastha Conference Trust ("GKC", "we"), a charitable trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, by Trust Deed No. 63 (Book No. 4, Volume No. 2, pages 163–184) at the District Registry Office, Patna, registered office B.G.-2 Royal Garden Apartment, Nageshwar Colony, Kidwaipuri, Patna, Bihar 800001.

It applies to every payment made to GKC through the websites globalkayastha.com and gkcindia.org: membership fees, renewals, donations and event fees. All online payments are processed by Razorpay. It forms part of our Terms & Conditions.

2. Membership and renewal fees

• The fee is shown to you before you pay. Your membership becomes active once the payment succeeds.
• Once a membership or renewal is active, the fee is not refundable, including if you later stop using the Site, delete your account, or GKC ends your membership under the Terms & Conditions.
• Under the Trust Deed, a member who takes back the fees paid ceases to be a member. So if GKC agrees to a refund in any exceptional case, the membership ends on the day the refund is made and the membership card stops being valid.
• Members cannot transfer a membership, or the fee paid for it, to another person.

3. Cancelling before the membership is active

If money is taken from your account but your membership is not activated (for example because the page closed during payment), write to us with the payment details. We will either activate the membership or, if you prefer, cancel it and refund the full amount.

If your bank shows a debit but Razorpay did not complete the payment, the bank or Razorpay normally reverses it automatically within 5–7 working days. If it is not reversed by then, write to us.

4. Duplicate or mistaken payments

If you are charged more than once for the same membership, renewal or event, or you pay a wrong amount by mistake, write to us within 30 days of the payment with the Razorpay payment ID. After checking, we refund the extra amount in full, with no deduction.

5. Donations

Donations are voluntary gifts to the Trust for its charitable objects. They are not payment for any service and are not refundable, except a donation made twice or in error and reported within 30 days. Once a donation receipt has been used for any tax purpose, it cannot be refunded.

6. Event fees

Each event's own registration terms, shown when you pay, decide whether its fee can be cancelled or refunded. If GKC cancels an event, we refund the fee in full or, if you agree, move your registration to the rescheduled event.

7. Payments from outside India

GKC accepts payments only in Indian rupees, from Indian citizens through Indian bank accounts, cards and UPI. People who are not Indian citizens can join GKC free of charge as Global Associates (supporters) and are never asked to pay. If GKC receives any payment from a foreign source, we return it in full to where it came from and do not treat it as a membership fee or donation.

8. How to ask for a refund

Write to refunds@globalkayastha.com from your registered email address with:

• your full name and registered mobile number;
• the Razorpay payment ID (it starts with pay_ and is in your payment receipt), the amount and the date;
• what the payment was for and why you are asking for a refund.

We acknowledge requests within 3 working days and decide within 15 working days. Approved refunds are sent only to the original payment method within 7 working days of approval; your bank may take a further 5–7 working days to show it. We do not refund in cash or to a different account.

9. Decisions and disputes

Refund decisions are taken by the Trust under its Trust Deed and rules. If you disagree with a decision, write to our Grievance Officer at grievance@globalkayastha.com. Please contact us before raising a chargeback with your bank: GKC may contest a chargeback for a membership that was correctly activated.

This policy is governed by the laws of India, and the courts at Patna, Bihar have exclusive jurisdiction. We may update it from time to time; each version has a version number and an effective date, and the version shown when you paid applies to that payment.

10. Contact