Leadership of a Royal Arch Chapter under the Supreme Grand Chapter of India is held conjointly by a trio of officers—the First, Second, and Third Principals—with the First Principal serving as first among equals, as the Grand Lodge of India outlines. Regulations governing the election and annual installation of these officers are set down in the General Regulations for the Government of the Order of Royal Arch Masons in India, as recorded by the Grand Lodge of India.
The annual ritual work of a Chapter consists of the Installation Ceremony, in which the three Principals are installed, and the Exaltation Ceremony of a new Companion, as the Grand Lodge of India notes. Companions who are installed into any of the three principal chairs are designated as Excellent Companions, according to the Grand Lodge of India.
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