Terms and Conditions

The Samvardhana Neurologically Diverse Minds Foundation ("SOUND" or "the Foundation") operates strictly as an intermediary under Section 2(1)(w) and Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The platform is an electronic directory of third-party practitioners. The Foundation exercises no oversight, control, verification, endorsement or medical/clinical responsibility over any listed professional. By accessing or using www.sound.ngo, you confirm that you have read, understood, and unconditionally agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree, you must immediately cease all use.

The Foundation, its Directors, employees, volunteers and agents shall under no circumstances be liable — directly, indirectly, vicariously, punitively or consequentially — for any loss, damage, injury, malpractice claim, or any other detriment arising from your use of the platform or any interaction with any third-party practitioner listed on it. All directory information is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal or professional advice. No doctor-patient, fiduciary or advisory relationship is created with the Foundation. Your sole remedy is to stop using the platform. This waiver extends full protection to the legal entity, its Directors, employees and volunteers under Indian law.

All donations — one-time or recurring subscriptions — processed by any means are final, irrevocable and non-refundable. This is in accordance with Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 and Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Refunds are permitted solely in exceptional cases of duplicate payments, clear technical errors, or other obvious mistakes as determined exclusively by the Foundation. Refund requests must be emailed to hello@sound.ngo within 7 days of the transaction date along with proof of payment. Approved refunds, if any, will be processed back via the original payment channel within 10–15 working days as per standard financial protocols. For recurring subscriptions, you may cancel future debits at any time, but no refund will be issued for any payment already processed. Donations are accepted only from Indian citizens/residents via Indian bank accounts. Due to the absence of FCRA registration, no foreign donations are accepted or processed. The Foundation transfers all liability for incorrect PAN details or invalid 80G receipt claims back to the donor. The Foundation, its Directors, employees and volunteers bear no liability for any payment failures, tax disputes or donor-side errors.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to mandatory arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The venue for arbitration and all legal proceedings shall be exclusively the High Court of Bombay at Goa, applying the laws of the Republic of India. Class actions are expressly excluded.

The directory is compiled from self-reported information and volunteer audits. Inclusion does not constitute any licence, accreditation, certification, background verification or endorsement by the Foundation. The Foundation performs only basic public-registry checks (RCI/NMC) and makes no representations or warranties regarding competence, ethics, suitability or outcomes of any listed professional. You alone are responsible for independent verification and due diligence. The Foundation, its Directors, employees and volunteers shall bear no liability for any professional listed.

You are solely responsible for the accuracy, legality and non-defamatory nature of all content you submit. The Foundation claims full safe-harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and shall not be liable for any user-generated content. The Foundation may remove or refuse content at its sole discretion without notice. All submitted narratives enter processing without any Foundation endorsement or medical validation.

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Foundation, its Directors, officers, employees, volunteers and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your submitted content, or your interaction with any third party accessed through the platform. This clause protects the legal entity, its Directors, employees and volunteers fully.

You shall not use the platform for any unlawful purpose, submit false information or interfere with its operation. The Foundation may suspend or terminate access, revoke volunteer status or take any other protective action at its sole discretion without notice.

All content, design, logos, trademarks and materials on the platform are the exclusive property of the Foundation and protected by Indian intellectual property laws. You are granted only a limited, revocable, non-exclusive licence for personal, non-commercial use.

Grievance Officer: hello@sound.ngo The Foundation endeavours to respond within 7–14 working days.

The Foundation may modify these Terms at any time. Continued use after modification constitutes acceptance. The Foundation, its Directors, employees and volunteers shall not be liable for any consequences of such modifications.