Last updated: September 2026 — These Terms of Service are the single master contract governing use of the Platform, membership, billing, cancellation and refunds. Please read them, together with our Privacy Policy and Content Policy, before using this website.
The website publicofuttarakhand.org ("Platform", "POU", "we", "us", "our") is owned and operated by Legal Fox India Services Private Limited, a company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 ("Company"). Public of Uttarakhand is a privately operated digital media and news-aggregation platform. We curate, republish, link to, and comment on news reported by third-party news channels, publications, and other sources ("Source Content"), and we allow registered members to publish original citizen-submitted content. The Platform is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government body, ministry, department, or official institution, and nothing on it should be treated as an official or governmental communication.
These Terms of Service contain the primary contractual terms governing use of the Platform, membership, billing, cancellation and refunds. The Privacy Policy and Content Policy govern their respective subject matter. Any standalone summary page is provided for convenience. In case of inconsistency, these Terms of Service prevail, except that the price expressly displayed and accepted at checkout shall govern the relevant transaction.
The membership billing, cancellation and refund rules are contained solely in Clause 8 of these Terms of Service; there is no separate operative refund policy.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute an electronic record and a legally binding agreement between you and the Company under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made thereunder, including the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ("IT Rules, 2021"), and do not require any physical or digital signature under Section 10A of that Act. By accessing, browsing, using, registering on, subscribing to, clicking "I Agree," or submitting content to this website, you agree to be bound by these Terms and the policies listed in Clause 2. If you do not agree to any part of these Terms, you must not use the Platform.
You must be at least 18 years of age and competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 to register for membership, take a paid subscription, or submit content. Persons who are minors, of unsound mind, or otherwise disqualified from contracting under applicable law may browse published content but may not register, subscribe, or submit content. By using the Platform you represent that all information you provide is true, accurate, and current, and that you have the legal capacity to be bound by these Terms.
We offer a free registration tier and a paid "Member" tier (see Clause 8 and our Membership Pricing page) that allows approved members to submit and publish their own news/citizen-journalism content on the Platform, subject to our editorial discretion and Content Policy. Registration or payment of the membership fee does not, by itself, guarantee approval as a contributor, issuance of a press/media credential, or any right to have content published. We may approve, decline, suspend, or revoke any membership (free or paid) at our discretion where these Terms, the Content Policy, or applicable law are not complied with, without prejudice to Clause 8 (refunds) below.
This clause governs the paid membership that entitles a registered member to submit news/content for publication on the Platform ("Paid Membership") and is a material part of these Terms. This Clause 8 is the sole operative membership billing, cancellation and refund policy of the Platform. A summary is published at https://publicofuttarakhand.org/pricing; in case of inconsistency, this Clause 8 governs, except that the price expressly displayed and accepted at checkout shall govern the relevant transaction.
By submitting content (whether under a free or Paid Membership), you grant the Company a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sub-licensable licence to host, review, edit, publish, translate, reformat, and distribute such content across the Platform and affiliated channels (including social media), for so long as it remains published. Publishing any submission is entirely at our editorial discretion. We may edit content for clarity, length, legal compliance, and privacy, without materially altering its essential meaning, and we may refuse to publish, or may take down, any submission at any time, including after publication, if it is found to violate the Content Policy or applicable law.
You retain ownership of original content you create and submit, subject to the licence granted in Clause 9. Source Content republished from third-party news channels remains the property of its respective owners under the Copyright Act, 1957, and is used under fair-dealing/attribution principles for reporting current events, or under specific arrangements with the relevant source, as applicable. The "Public of Uttarakhand" name, logo, website design, and original editorial material are the property of Legal Fox India Services Private Limited and may not be copied, reproduced, or reused without prior written permission. If you believe any content on the Platform infringes your copyright, write to us using the contact details in Clause 22, and we will act in accordance with the take-down procedures under the IT Rules, 2021 and the Copyright Act, 1957.
You agree not to misuse the Platform, including by: attempting unauthorised access to our systems or another user's account; uploading viruses, malware, or malicious code; scraping or harvesting data at scale without permission; reverse-engineering or circumventing security measures; posting content that is defamatory, obscene, communal, sexually explicit, threatens the sovereignty or integrity of India, or is otherwise unlawful under the IT Rules, 2021 (Rule 3(1)(b)); impersonating any person or entity; or using the Platform to harass, defame, or spread misinformation. A full list of prohibited content categories is set out in our Content Policy. We may remove non-compliant content and, where required, disable access, and we will cooperate with lawful requests from government or law-enforcement authorities under Section 69A and related provisions of the IT Act, 2000.
Content on this Platform, including republished Source Content and member submissions, is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, as further detailed in our Disclaimer. The Company does not warrant the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of any content, whether sourced from third-party news channels or submitted by members, and is not liable for editorial decisions of the original news sources we aggregate from. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential loss (including loss of profit, goodwill, or data) arising from your use of, or reliance on, the Platform or its content. In any event, and to the extent legally permissible, our aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to the Platform or these Terms shall not exceed the total membership fees actually paid by you to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Nothing in this clause excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded under Indian law, including under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
In accordance with Rules 10 and 11 of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, Public of Uttarakhand has established a grievance redressal mechanism and appointed a Grievance Officer based in India for grievances relating to the Code of Ethics. Grievances may be sent to the Grievance Officer at the contact details in Clause 22, with details of the content (URL) and the grounds of the grievance. Each grievance will be acknowledged within 24 hours and a decision will be communicated to the complainant within 15 days. The Grievance Officer acts at Level I of the statutory grievance mechanism; the escalation and appeal process to the Self-Regulating Body, and our monthly compliance reports, are published on our Grievance & Compliance page.
Complaints concerning member-submitted or third-party content (including impersonation, privacy violation or intimate imagery) may be sent to the same address and will be handled within the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021.
Membership, billing and service complaints (for example, AutoPay debits, cancellation, the Membership ID Card or account issues) are consumer complaints and are not Code of Ethics grievances under the IT Rules, 2021. They are handled separately as described on our Grievance & Compliance page, without prejudice to your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The Platform aggregates, links to, and embeds content from third-party news channels and websites. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, accuracy, advertising practices, or privacy practices of such third-party sources. Access to any linked third-party site is at your own risk and subject to that site's own terms.
Personal data collected during registration, subscription, and payment is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and rules made thereunder. Payment details are processed by our third-party payment gateway partner(s) and are not stored by us in unencrypted form.
We may suspend or terminate your account, free registration, or Paid Membership, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, the Content Policy, or applicable law, or if required by a government or judicial order. Clause 8 (Membership Billing, Cancellation & Refund Policy) and Clauses 10, 12, 17, 20, and 21 survive any such suspension or termination, along with any other clause which by its nature is intended to survive.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers, employees, editors, and agents from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) content you submit; (b) your breach of these Terms or any Policy; (c) your violation of any applicable law or any third party's rights (including intellectual property or personality rights); or (d) your misuse of the Platform.
Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including internet or server outages, government action, natural disasters, epidemics, strikes, or payment gateway/banking failures.
These Terms, together with the Policies listed in Clause 2, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding your use of the Platform, superseding any prior understanding. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable by a competent court, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of that right or provision.
You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms, in whole or in part, to any affiliate, successor, or acquirer of the Company's business, without your consent, and such assignment will not diminish your rights under these Terms.
These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes), shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Subject to Clause 13 (Grievance Redressal) and the grievance mechanisms prescribed by law, the parties shall first attempt to resolve any dispute amicably through good-faith negotiation for a period of thirty (30) days. If the dispute is not resolved within that period, it shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and you irrevocably submit to the jurisdiction of such courts. Nothing in this clause prevents the Company from seeking urgent injunctive or equitable relief before any court of competent jurisdiction.
All notices to the Company under these Terms shall be in writing and sent to support@publicofuttarakhand.org. For questions about these Terms, membership billing or cancellations, contact us at the same address. We aim to acknowledge queries within 24 hours. Notices to you will be sent to the email address registered on your account and are deemed received 24 hours after being sent.
Grievance Officer (Name & Designation): Manya Pundir, Grievance Officer, based in India. Email: publicofuttarakhand@gmail.com. Telephone: +91 7302662843.
Public of Uttarakhand is owned and operated by Legal Fox India Services Private Limited (CIN: U69200RJ2021PTC074136). The Company is incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 2013. Disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, as set out in Clause 21.
