SERVICE PROVIDER CODE OF CONDUCT
For Vendors, Suppliers, Agencies, Contractors, Consultants, Internal Resources and Other Service Providers
1. Introduction and Purpose
Animal Climate and Health Save Foundation (“ACHSF”) engages vendors, suppliers, agencies, contractors, caterers, venues, printers, event managers, designers, photographers, videographers, transport providers, logistics providers, technology vendors, merchandise suppliers, consultants, and other service providers or internal resources to support its charitable and public-interest work.
For the purpose of this Code, the term “Service Provider” shall include each of the above categories, whether engaged as an individual, firm, company, agency, consultant, contractor, supplier, vendor, internal resource, subcontractor, representative, or through any other form of engagement. The term “Service Provider” shall include “Service Providers” wherever the context so requires.
Please note that for any Service Provider who also serves as an ACHSF Volunteer, the provisions of both Codes of Conduct shall apply.
This Service Provider Code of Conduct sets out the minimum ethical, legal, operational, vegan, environmental, labour, safety, confidentiality, and professional standards expected from all Service Providers engaged by or working with ACHSF.
This Code forms part of ACHSF’s Service Provider onboarding, procurement, contracting, and payment compliance process.
2. Applicability
This Code applies to all Service Providers engaged by ACHSF, including vendors, suppliers, agencies, contractors, caterers, venues, printers, event managers, designers, photographers, videographers, transport providers, logistics providers, technology vendors, merchandise suppliers, consultants, internal resources, subcontractors, representatives, staff, workers, delivery personnel, and any person engaged by or acting on behalf of a Service Provider in connection with ACHSF work.
Service Providers are responsible for ensuring that their employees, workers, subcontractors, agents, delivery personnel, and representatives comply with this Code.
3. Validity and Signing Requirement
Every Service Provider must sign this Code of Conduct at the time of onboarding or before commencement of work, whichever is earlier.
This Code shall remain valid for one year from the date of signing.
All ongoing Service Providers must sign or renew this Code within the first month of every calendar year.
ACHSF may refuse onboarding, pause work, withhold new assignments, or terminate engagement if the Service Provider fails to sign or renew this Code.
4. Legal Compliance
Service Providers must comply with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, licences, permits, and approvals relevant to their work.
This includes laws relating to:
labour and wages;
taxation;
GST and invoicing;
food safety;
environmental protection;
data protection;
intellectual property;
workplace safety;
anti-bribery and anti-corruption;
child labour;
forced labour;
transport and logistics;
public event permissions;
professional licences;
contractual obligations.
5. Vegan and Animal Rights Operational Requirement
ACHSF’s work is rooted in animal rights, veganism, compassion, public health, and climate justice.
While working with ACHSF or present at any ACHSF worksite, event, premises, meeting, workshop, campaign, stall, shoot, or any official activity, Service Providers must fully respect and follow ACHSF’s vegan and animal rights principles.
5.1 Prohibited Items During ACHSF Work
During ACHSF work, Service Providers, their staff, workers, representatives, subcontractors, and delivery teams must not bring, consume, serve, distribute, sell, display, promote, cook, store, or handle any non-vegan items on ACHSF premises, event premises, campaign sites, stalls, shoots, workshops, or official work areas.
This includes, but is not limited to:
meat;
fish;
eggs;
dairy milk;
curd;
cheese;
paneer;
ghee;
butter;
cream;
whey;
casein;
honey;
gelatin;
leather;
wool;
silk;
fur;
feathers;
shellac;
bone china;
animal-tested promotional items;
any other animal-derived food, ingredient, fabric, prop, gift, or material.
5.2 Catering and Food Service Providers
Catering Service Providers must ensure that all food, beverages, ingredients, samples, tastings, staff meals, cooking oils, packaging, condiments, and preparation surfaces used for ACHSF events are 100% vegan and plant-based.
A catering or food Service Provider managing food items for an ACHSF event must refrain from using or consuming non-vegan items even for self-consumption during the duration of the event on the event premises.
Cross-contamination with non-vegan items must strictly be avoided.
5.3 Event, Production, Creative and Merchandise Service Providers
Event managers, production teams, stylists, photographers, videographers, set designers, printers, and merchandise Service Providers must ensure that props, gifts, décor, costumes, merchandise, printed materials, and production items used for ACHSF work do not include animal-derived materials.
5.4 Communication Requirement
Service Providers must brief their staff and subcontractors about ACHSF’s vegan requirements before sending them to any ACHSF assignment.
Failure of Service Provider staff, agents, delivery personnel, representatives, or subcontractors to comply shall be treated as Service Provider non-compliance.
6. Labour and Human Rights
Service Providers must uphold basic labour and human rights standards.
Service Providers must not use:
child labour;
forced labour;
bonded labour;
trafficked labour;
unpaid labour;
coercive labour practices;
unsafe labour conditions;
unlawful wage deductions.
Service Providers must comply with applicable wage, working hour, safety, leave, and employment laws.
Workers must be treated with dignity and must not be subjected to harassment, abuse, intimidation, violence, or discrimination.
7. Anti-Harassment and Safeguarding
Service Providers and their representatives must not engage in sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying, intimidation, abuse, threats, exploitation, or inappropriate conduct toward ACHSF employees, consultants, interns, volunteers, beneficiaries, students, children, community members, partners, or the general public.
Service Providers working around children, students, vulnerable communities, field subjects, or beneficiaries must follow safeguarding instructions issued by ACHSF from time to time.
Any misconduct may result in immediate removal from site, termination, and necessary legal action.
7.1 Anti-Defamation, Reputation Protection and Non-Retaliatory Conduct
Service Providers and any person acting on their behalf shall not make, publish, circulate, encourage, or assist any false, malicious, misleading, defamatory, abusive, threatening, retaliatory, or reputation-damaging statement or content against ACHSF or any person associated with ACHSF.
All such matters shall be governed by Section 21 of this Code, including the provisions on mutual non-disparagement, confidentiality, grievance escalation, protected disclosures, survival of obligations, and consequences of breach.
8. Anti-Bribery, Anti-Corruption and Fair Dealing
Service Providers must not offer, give, request, accept, promise, or facilitate bribes, kickbacks, commissions, improper benefits, gifts, hospitality, or favours to influence ACHSF decisions.
Service Providers must not offer personal benefits to ACHSF employees, consultants, volunteers, interns, board members, or representatives in exchange for selection, payment, contract renewal, favourable treatment, or confidential information.
Service Providers must compete fairly and must not engage in collusion, price-fixing, bid-rigging, false quotations, cartel conduct, or anti-competitive behaviour.
9. Conflict of Interest
Service Providers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before onboarding or during the engagement.
This includes:
family relationship with ACHSF staff or decision-makers;
personal relationship with persons involved in procurement or payment;
financial arrangement with ACHSF employees or consultants;
commissions or referral benefits;
ownership links with other bidding Service Providers;
subcontracting to related parties or other Service Providers with whom there is a financial, familial, personal, or ownership connection;
any situation that may affect fair selection or objective performance.
Failure to disclose a conflict may result in termination and necessary legal action.
10. Personal Relationships, Workplace Boundaries and Post-Relationship Conduct
10.1 Purpose
Animal Climate and Health Save Foundation recognises that individuals associated with the organisation may, in some circumstances, have personal, romantic, intimate, familial, or former personal relationships with one another. However, such relationships must not interfere with ACHSF’s work, workplace safety, professional conduct, decision-making, organisational resources, reputation, confidentiality, or team functioning.
This section applies to all Service Providers and their owners, partners, directors, employees, workers, representatives, consultants, agents, subcontractors, delivery personnel, and any person acting on their behalf in connection with ACHSF work.
10.2 Disclosure of Personal Relationships
Where any Service Provider or their representative is engaged in a consensual personal, romantic, intimate, familial, or former relationship with any person associated with ACHSF, including an employee, consultant, intern, fellow, volunteer, organiser, campaigner, director, founder, vendor, supplier, service provider, partner representative, or other engaged person, the individual is obligated to disclose such relationship confidentially to ACHSF where the relationship may affect, or may reasonably appear to affect:
a. work allocation, supervision, reporting, access, payment, procurement, Service Provider selection, event responsibilities, campaign roles, or decision-making;
b. workplace safety, team functioning, professional boundaries, or organisational reputation;
c. access to ACHSF premises, events, platforms, communication channels, internal groups, databases, confidential information, or organisational resources;
d. any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, favouritism, undue influence, coercion, pressure, retaliation, or misuse of organisational systems.
The disclosure requirement is intended only to protect professional boundaries, manage conflicts of interest, and maintain workplace safety. ACHSF shall not require unnecessary intimate details of the relationship and shall handle such disclosures with confidentiality and sensitivity, subject to legal, safeguarding, POSH, safety, and organisational requirements.
10.3 Conduct During ACHSF Work
Service Providers and their representatives must maintain professional boundaries at all times while working with ACHSF or while present at ACHSF premises, events, meetings, workshops, trainings, campaigns, stalls, shoots, travel arrangements, accommodation, field visits, official meals, online meetings, WhatsApp groups, email threads, social media platforms, or any other official or semi-official space connected with ACHSF.
No Service Provider or their representative shall:
a. use ACHSF premises, events, meetings, platforms, travel, accommodation, communication channels, work opportunities, or organisational access to pursue, display, advance, continue, revive, pressure, control, monitor, or interfere in any personal, romantic, intimate, familial, or former relationship;
b. engage in intimate, affectionate, sexual, romantic, coercive, possessive, controlling, or otherwise inappropriate behaviour while representing ACHSF, performing ACHSF work, attending ACHSF events, or interacting with persons associated with ACHSF;
c. use ACHSF resources, platforms, contact lists, WhatsApp groups, email threads, social media pages, work calls, field access, event access, donor networks, volunteer networks, or organisational relationships to further a personal relationship;
d. allow any personal relationship to influence pricing, procurement, Service Provider selection, payment, work allocation, access, approvals, public visibility, travel, accommodation, speaking opportunities, campaign leadership, credit, content features, recommendations, or professional treatment;
e. involve ACHSF employees, consultants, interns, volunteers, organisers, Service Providers, beneficiaries, donors, partners, or other engaged persons in personal relationship disputes;
f. create discomfort, disruption, reputational risk, safety risk, or hostile conditions for any person associated with ACHSF.
10.4 Disclosure of Break-Up or End of Relationship
Where a disclosed or disclosable personal, romantic, intimate, familial, or former relationship ends, or where the end of such relationship may affect ACHSF work, communication, safety, access, decision-making, reporting, Service Provider engagement, team dynamics, or organisational reputation, the concerned Service Provider, or representative must confidentially disclose the same to ACHSF.
The purpose of this disclosure is to allow ACHSF to manage boundaries, access, communication, safety, conflict of interest, and work continuity.
10.5 Prohibited Post-Relationship Conduct
Following the end of any personal, romantic, intimate, familial, or other close personal relationship between persons associated with ACHSF, no Service Provider or their representative shall use ACHSF workspaces, resources, platforms, communication systems, networks, events, or organisational access to target, contact, pressure, threaten, humiliate, defame, isolate, control, monitor, punish, or retaliate against the other person.
The following conduct is strictly prohibited:
a. repeatedly contacting another person through ACHSF email, WhatsApp groups, work calls, shared drives, campaign groups, event channels, internal contacts, social media pages, volunteer networks, donor networks, partner groups, or other ACHSF-related access after the person has indicated unwillingness to engage;
b. using ACHSF work, events, meetings, campaign sites, travel, accommodation, or public programmes to confront, follow, monitor, pressure, shame, or emotionally manipulate another person;
c. threatening, intimidating, humiliating, coercing, blackmailing, stalking, bullying, or harassing another person in connection with a personal or former relationship;
d. spreading personal information, private communications, screenshots, photographs, videos, rumours, misinformation, allegations, or selective narratives relating to the relationship or break-up;
e. interfering with the other person’s work, role, reputation, payments, assignments, travel, participation, public visibility, access, or relationships within ACHSF;
f. using psychological, social, political, activist-network, organisational, professional, reputational, or public pressure to seek revenge or control the other person;
g. encouraging or involving third parties, including employees, consultants, volunteers, interns, organisers, Service Providers, partners, donors, media persons, or online communities, to shame, isolate, boycott, harass, defame, or target the other person;
h. making malicious, knowingly false, retaliatory, or bad-faith complaints or allegations;
i. weaponising ACHSF grievance, ethics, POSH, safeguarding, Service Provider, media, donor, social media, or organisational processes to exact revenge or cause reputational harm;
j. misusing access obtained through ACHSF to contact the other person during working time, post-working time, or while either person is representing ACHSF.
10.6 No Restriction on Good-Faith Complaints
Nothing in this section prevents any person from making a good-faith complaint relating to sexual harassment, harassment, stalking, threats, assault, coercion, abuse, exploitation, safeguarding concerns, financial misconduct, corruption, data misuse, safety concerns, criminal conduct, or any violation of law or ACHSF policy.
Nothing in this section restricts any person from approaching the POSH Internal Committee, police, court, tribunal, statutory authority, legal counsel, or any competent authority where permitted or required by law.
10.7 Corrective Measures
Where ACHSF determines that a disclosed relationship, undisclosed relationship, break-up, or related conduct may affect work, safety, decision-making, professional boundaries, or organisational interests, ACHSF may take appropriate corrective measures, including but not limited to:
a. restricting access to certain premises, events, groups, platforms, databases, or communication channels;
b. modifying Service Provider roles, assignments, points of contact, reporting lines, or communication protocols;
c. requiring written undertakings regarding boundaries and non-contact;
d. removing Service Provider representatives from ACHSF work;
e. suspending or terminating the Service Provider engagement;
f. initiating necessary legal action where required.
Violation of this section shall be treated as a serious breach of this Code of Conduct.
11. Quality, Product Safety and Service Standards
Service Providers must provide goods and services that are safe, lawful, accurate, reliable, fit for purpose, and compliant with agreed specifications.
Service Providers must not supply defective, unsafe, counterfeit, expired, mislabelled, contaminated, unauthorised, plagiarised, or non-compliant goods or services.
Food Service Providers must comply with applicable food safety standards and must truthfully disclose ingredients.
Creative, research, media, and communication Service Providers must ensure that all work is original, licensed, factual, and free from unauthorised third-party intellectual property.
12. Environmental Responsibility
Service Providers are expected to support environmentally responsible practices, including:
waste reduction;
minimal single-use plastic;
responsible disposal;
energy efficiency;
sustainable packaging;
lower-emission logistics where practical;
compliance with environmental laws;
avoidance of unnecessary printing;
preference for reusable, recyclable, compostable, and cruelty-free materials.
ACHSF may prefer Service Providers whose practices align with climate, sustainability, and animal protection values.
13. Confidentiality, Data Privacy and Information Security
Service Providers may receive access to confidential or personal information, including donor data, student data, volunteer data, intern data, participant data, media lists, campaign plans, photographs, videos, financial records, passwords, unpublished materials, or internal communications.
Service Providers must:
keep such information confidential;
use it only for authorised ACHSF work;
not sell, share, publish, upload, copy, or transfer data without permission;
protect files, devices, emails, drives, passwords, and accounts;
delete or return data after completion of work;
immediately report any data breach, loss, hacking, unauthorised access, or accidental disclosure.
The confidentiality obligation continues even after the Service Provider relationship ends.
14. Intellectual Property
All deliverables created for ACHSF, including brands, logos, designs, videos, photographs, raw files, edited files, written content, reports, research, templates, campaign concepts, scripts, decks, websites, databases, event materials, concepts, designs, and any other work product, shall belong to ACHSF unless otherwise agreed in writing by ACHSF.
For the avoidance of doubt, all intellectual property rights, and all other rights in any material, content, work product, deliverable, draft, raw file, edited file, design, artwork, logo, brand asset, photograph, video, footage, audio, script, caption, written content, report, research, template, deck, campaign concept, website material, database, event material, document, creative material, or any other work created, developed, modified, contributed to, submitted, shared, delivered, or provided by the Service Provider, or by its staff, workers, representatives, agents, consultants, subcontractors, or any person acting on its behalf in connection with services rendered to ACHSF, whether before or after the signing of Code or the Service Provider Code of Conduct Acknowledgement, shall belong exclusively to Animal Climate and Health Save Foundation, unless otherwise agreed in writing by ACHSF.
Service Providers must not reuse, resell, publish, display, upload, or claim ownership over ACHSF work without written permission.
Service Providers must ensure that work submitted to ACHSF does not infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights of third parties. It will be considered that all work submitted is genuine with no copyright content of any other party involved and if it does, the use shall comply and shall be justifiable under the fair-dealing laws as described under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957. If upload / publishing of any material created by the Service Provider causes legal / reputational harm or results in copyright strike / copyright claim ACHSF shall reserve the right to remove the Service Provider from service immediately and shall be considered a breach of this Code of Conduct.
This clause shall survive termination, completion, expiry, or cessation of the Service Provider relationship.
15. Use of ACHSF Name, Logo and Reputation
Service Providers must not use ACHSF’s name, logo, name of any brands associated with ACHSF or their logo, campaign material, photographs, videos, testimonials, public image, donor names, partner names, or project details for marketing, portfolio, website, social media, press release, award entries, or client lists without prior written approval before each such use.
Service Providers must not represent themselves as official spokespersons, partners, employees, agents, or authorised representatives of ACHSF unless expressly authorised in writing. ACHSF reserves the right to revoke such authorisation without prior notice.
16. Financial Integrity, Billing and Records
Service Providers must submit accurate invoices, quotations, bills, receipts, tax documents, delivery records, timesheets, and supporting documents from time to time.
Service Providers must not:
inflate invoices;
duplicate bills;
submit fake receipts;
charge for undelivered goods or services;
misrepresent tax status;
conceal subcontracting;
change agreed prices / rates without prior written approval;
make false claims regarding quality, quantity, labour, ingredients, materials, or delivery.
17. Site Conduct and Safety
Service Providers must follow all venue, event, workplace, travel, field, and safety instructions issued by ACHSF or venue authorities.
Service Providers must ensure that their staff behave professionally, respectfully, and lawfully.
Service Providers must not attend ACHSF work under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, illegal substances, or any substance that impairs conduct, judgment, or safety.
Service Providers must remove any staff member from ACHSF work if instructed due to misconduct, safety risk, or policy violation.
18. Reporting Violations
Service Providers must promptly report any suspected violation of this Code, law, safety requirement, safeguarding requirement, vegan requirement, confidentiality requirement, or ethical obligation.
Reports may be made to:
Authorised Contact:coordinator@animalsaveindia.org
19. Audit and Verification
ACHSF may request documents, declarations, ingredient lists, labour compliance information, invoices, licences, samples, certificates, or other reasonable records to verify compliance with this Code.
Service Providers must cooperate with such verification.
20. Consequences of Non-Compliance
Violation of this Code may result in:
warning;
removal from event or worksite;
rejection of goods or services;
withholding of future assignments;
termination of contract;
non-renewal;
blacklisting from future engagement;
recovery of losses;
reporting to relevant authorities;
necessary legal action.
ACHSF reserves the right to terminate any Service Provider relationship where the Service Provider’s conduct is inconsistent with ACHSF’s mission, legal obligations, ethical standards, or vegan and animal rights principles.
21. Mutual Non-Disparagement, Confidentiality and Internal Grievance Escalation
21.1 Purpose
ACHSF’s work depends on trust, confidentiality, public credibility, volunteer goodwill, donor confidence, community relationships, and the safety and dignity of individuals associated with the organisation. Service Providers, their representatives, and any person acting on their behalf must not misuse their association with ACHSF to publicly harm, defame, threaten, intimidate, disclose confidential information, or damage the reputation of ACHSF or any person connected with the organisation.
This section is intended to create a fair, structured, and mutually responsible framework for raising grievances internally, protecting confidential information, preventing public defamation or digital harassment, and ensuring that both ACHSF and persons engaged with ACHSF act responsibly during and after the engagement.
21.2 Mutual Non-Disparagement
Service Providers, including their owners, partners, directors, employees, workers, representatives, consultants, subcontractors, and agents shall not make, publish, circulate, encourage, endorse, assist, or cause to be made any false, malicious, misleading, defamatory, retaliatory, confidential, abusive, threatening, or reputation-damaging statement, communication, post, review, message, complaint, allegation, insinuation, or content against:
a. Animal Climate and Health Save Foundation;
b. its Founders, Directors, Board members, authorised management representatives, employees, consultants, interns, fellows, campaigners, organisers, coordinators, partners, donors, beneficiaries, Service Providers, and other engaged persons;
c. current volunteers and past volunteers;
d. any person or entity associated with ACHSF’s work, events, campaigns, programmes, partnerships, or public-interest activities.
This obligation applies to statements made directly or indirectly, publicly or privately, anonymously or under one’s own name, orally, in writing, digitally, visually, or through third parties.
21.3 Mutual Restriction on ACHSF
The non-disparagement obligation shall be structurally mutual. ACHSF’s Founders, Directors, authorised management spokespersons, and authorised representatives shall not make false, malicious, misleading, defamatory, retaliatory, confidential, abusive, or reputation-damaging statements about departing Service Providers, or their authorised representatives.
This does not restrict ACHSF from making truthful, necessary, good-faith, legally required, contractually required, protective, corrective, or internal statements relating to Service Provider performance, breach, risk, safeguarding, legal compliance, non-payment disputes, misconduct, or termination, provided such statements are made through appropriate channels and to persons with a legitimate need to know.
21.4 Protected Human Network
The protection under this section is not limited to ACHSF’s corporate or organisational name. It expressly extends to ACHSF’s human network, including Founders, Directors, core organisers, employees, consultants, interns, fellows, campaigners, coordinators, current volunteers, past volunteers, donors, partners, beneficiaries, Service Providers, and other engaged persons.
No Service Provider or their representative shall arget, shame, isolate, harass, defame, intimidate, threaten, publicly expose, digitally attack, or encourage third parties to target any such person in connection with ACHSF work, association, departure, dispute, payment issue, relationship issue, grievance, or disagreement.
21.5 Mandatory Internal Grievance Escalation
Any complaint, grievance, violation, payment concern, interpersonal issue, misconduct concern, reputational concern, relationship-related issue, exit-related concern, contractual issue, ethical concern, or alleged violation involving ACHSF or any person associated with ACHSF must first be reported discreetly through the designated internal email escalation route.
Unless otherwise notified, such concerns shall be addressed to:
Authorised Contact:coordinator@animalsaveindia.org
Bypassing the internal grievance route and directly airing grievances publicly, digitally, through social media, professional platforms, media channels, public reviews, activist networks, donor groups, volunteer groups, Service Provider groups, or private messaging groups may constitute a serious and actionable breach of this Code, unless such disclosure is legally protected, legally required, or falls within the carve-outs stated in this section.
21.6 Prohibited Public and Digital Conduct
Service Providers, their representatives, and any person acting on their behalf shall not publish, circulate, forward, encourage, endorse, or assist any false, malicious, misleading, defamatory, retaliatory, confidential, abusive, threatening, or reputation-damaging content relating to ACHSF or its protected human network on any platform, including but not limited to:
a. Indian corporate review portals, including Glassdoor, AmbitionBox, Indeed, JobBuzz, or similar platforms;
b. professional platforms, including LinkedIn;
c. social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, or similar platforms;
d. instant messaging systems, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, SMS, broadcast lists, groups, and private message chains;
e. email groups, donor groups, media groups, activist networks, volunteer groups, community groups, partner groups, and public forums;
f. newspapers, digital media, blogs, podcasts, online interviews, public statements, press notes, or informal briefings.
This prohibition includes anonymous posts, indirect posts, coded references, selective screenshots, private chat leaks, voice notes, memes, insinuations, public tagging, coordinated reporting, review bombing, digital venting, “loud quitting,” public shaming, and encouraging third parties to publish or circulate such content.
21.7 Confidentiality During Grievances, Exit and Disputes
All grievances, exit discussions, Service Provider disputes, payment concerns, relationship-related issues, internal complaints, investigations, evidence, communications, settlement discussions, warnings, termination discussions, and organisational decisions must be treated as confidential.
Service Providers, and their representatives shall not disclose, leak, publish, forward, record, screenshot, circulate, or misuse such information except where expressly authorised by ACHSF or required by law.
This obligation applies during the Service Provider engagement and after termination, expiry, completion, disengagement, blacklisting, non-renewal, withdrawal, or cessation of the relationship with ACHSF.
21.8 Legal Savings and Protected Disclosures
Nothing in this section shall prevent or restrict any person from:
a. making a mandatory statutory disclosure to Indian courts, tribunals, police, Income Tax Department, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SEBI, FCRA authorities, labour authorities, or any other competent government or statutory authority;
b. filing a police complaint, criminal complaint, or First Information Report in accordance with applicable criminal law, including the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, where applicable;
c. filing, participating in, assisting, or giving evidence in any legal proceeding under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, or any other applicable law;
d. reporting sexual harassment, stalking, assault, threats, violence, child safety concerns, safeguarding concerns, coercion, abuse, corruption, financial fraud, data breach, or any unlawful conduct in good faith;
e. seeking confidential legal advice from an advocate;
f. complying with any lawful summons, notice, order, investigation, inquiry, audit, or direction issued by a court, tribunal, police, government department, regulator, statutory body, or competent authority;
g. making disclosures that are expressly protected by applicable law.
However, to the extent legally permissible, any such disclosure should be made responsibly, truthfully, proportionately, and without unnecessary disclosure of confidential, private, personal, donor, volunteer, beneficiary, or organisational information.
21.9 Survival of Obligations
The obligations relating to confidentiality, non-disparagement, protection of personal information, protection of ACHSF’s reputation, protection of ACHSF’s human network, intellectual property, non-retaliation, non-misuse of organisational resources, and responsible grievance escalation shall survive resignation, termination, expiry, completion, disengagement, blacklisting, non-renewal, withdrawal, or cessation of any Service Provider engagement with ACHSF, including any subcontractor, representative, agent, delivery personnel, or person acting on their behalf.
These obligations shall continue indefinitely, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
21.10 Breach and Consequences
Violation of this section shall be treated as a serious breach of this Code of Conduct and may result in:
a. immediate removal from ACHSF premises, events, platforms, groups, or workspaces;
b. suspension of work or access;
c. rejection of goods or services;
d. withholding of future assignments;
e. termination of contract or engagement;
f. non-renewal or blacklisting from future engagement;
g. recovery of losses, damages, legal costs, or reputational harm caused to ACHSF or its protected network;
h. reporting to relevant authorities;
i. necessary legal action.
ACHSF reserves the right to act promptly where conduct threatens organisational safety, confidentiality, reputation, legal compliance, donor trust, volunteer safety, public credibility, or the dignity of any person associated with ACHSF.
22. Annual Review
This Code shall be reviewed annually and may be updated by ACHSF from time to time. Notice of updates may be made available to Service Providers through ACHSF’s website, email, onboarding documents, or any other appropriate communication channel. Continued engagement with ACHSF after such update shall constitute acceptance of and compliance with the latest applicable version of this Code.