SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1978 Supreme(SC) 150

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
R.S. SARKARIA AND P.S. KAILASAM, JJ.
Nagu Reddiar and others etc., Appellants
Versus
Banu Reddiar and others etc., Respondents and vice versa.
Civil Appeals Nos. 2456-2457 of 1968
Decided on  27-4-1978.
Advocates appeared
Mr. P. R. Mridul Sr. Advocate (M/S. K. Jayaram and K. Ram Kumar Advocates with him), for Appellants in C. A. No. 2456 of 1968 and Respondents in C. A. No. 2457 of 1968. Mr. T. S. Krishna Murthy Iyer Sr. Advocate (Miss Lilly Thomas Advocate with him), for Appellants in C. A. No. 2457 of 1968 and Respondents in C. A. No. 2456 of 1968.

Advocates:
K.JAYRAMAN GOWDA, K.RAM KUMAR, LILY THOMAS, P.R.MRIDUL, T.S.KRISHNAMURTHY IYER

Headnote:

Code of Civil Procedure - Section 92 - Trial court – Removed from service – Claim of compensation - It also found that alienations of items 4, 7, 8 and 15 of B-Schedule properties were not valid or binding on the trust. Differing from the trial court, it held that were not inextricably mixed up and that the endowment was a valid endowment. The High Court allocated half the properties mentioned in the B Schedule to the and feeding charity and directed that the other half of the B Schedule properties should go to the first defendant because it related to the in the Samadhi, the endowment for which purpose not being valid. Aggrieved by the judgment of the High Court the parties have preferred appeals against the common judgment for purpose of convenient reference, we will refer to the parties as plaintiffs and defendants according to their rank in the trial court – Held, High Court directed framing of a scheme for the administration of the two trusts. The High Court also agreed with the trial Judge that the Board of Trustees should consist of three persons, two of whom should be respectable residents of and the third should be a member of the family of the first defendant. We agree that a scheme should be framed with a Board of Trustees consisting of three members, one belonging to the family of the donors and two other respectable residents of the village. As the prohibition against the first defendant for being a trustee for five years has expired his claim to be appointed as one of the trustees from the members belonging to the family of the may be considered by the Sub-ordinate Judge. The three trustees appointed by the Subordinate Judge will administer the scheme that may be framed subject to the directions that may be issued by the Subordinate Judge from time to time - It is the common case of the parties that due to changed circumstances very few people visit the village on their way to various places of pilgrimage and therefore there are not many visitors to be fed in the income from the properties that is allotted to the temple under be used in conformity with the directions in the document. Regarding the property which had been allotted to direction is that from the income of the property, the Brahmins that visit the should be fed and should be maintained - Direction will be adhered to but if there are not enough Brahmins as envisaged in the document the income will be for feeding the poor boys and girls of the schools of the village even though they may not belong to the Brahmin community. Regarding the properties that are allotted to the it is seen that there are not enough pilgrims passing through the village due to improved transport facilities. The direction to incur expenses for the in the has failed. The income from the properties after feeding visit the Matam will be utilised for feeding the poor boys and girls of the schools of the village - It will be open to the Subordinate Judge to utilise the surplus income from the properties allotted to and for feeding the poor school-going boys and girls in the village. We are satisfied that the settlement is predominantly for a charitable purpose and as the direction regarding feeding of the Brahmins in the and for and in the cannot be duly carried out as intended by doctrine we direct as indicated above that the funds may be for purposes which are as nearly as possible with the intention of the donors. There will be no order as to costs - Order accordingly

JUDGMENT

P. S. KAILASAM. J.:— These two appeals are by certificates granted by the High Court of Madras against a common judgment in A. S. No. 114 and A. S. No. 194 of 1958.

2. These appeals arise out of a suit filed by the plaintiffs in the Court of the Subordinate Judge, Tiruchirapalli in O. S. No. 152 of 1955 under Section 92 of the Code of Civil Procedure for removing one Negu Reddiar, the first defendant, from the trusteeship of the suit charities and for framing a scheme for the said charities. The trial court found that the two charities in question were public trusts and comprised all the alienated properties except item 7 of plaint-A Schedule to the trust properties. The trial court found that B-Schedule properties were bequeathed for performance of Puja in the Samadhi and for feeding the Agathies and Paradesies in the Matam and that the Samadhi could not be separated from the Matam and therefore the dedication of the B Schedule properties in favour of the Matam and Samadhikoil is invalid in law. The court ordered the removal of the defendant from the office of the trusteeship and directed him to render accounts and ordered the framing of a scheme for plaint A Schedule properties except item 7 which was found to be not a trust property. Aggrieved by the judgment both the plaintiffs and the defendants preferred appeals to the High Court of Madras, the appeal by the plaintiffs being A. S. No. 114 of 1958 and by the defendants A. S. No. 194 of 1958. The High Court disposed of both the appeals by a common judgment dismissing A. S. No. 114 subject to the modification of the decree of the lower court that the first defendant would be liable to render accounts in respect of the trust properties only for six years prior to the date of the suit and not for the entire period of his management as ordered by Sub-Judge. The High Court allowed the appeal in A. S. No. 194 of 1958 in part holding that item 7 of the plaint A Schedule properties was also part of the trust properties. It also found that alienations of items 4, 7, 8 and 15 of B-Schedule properties were not valid or binding on the trust. Differing from the trial court, it held that the Matam and the Samadhikoil were not inextricably mixed up and that the endowment for Sachidhananda Matam was a valid endowment. The High Court allocated half the properties mentioned in the B Schedule to the Sachidananda Matam and feeding charity and directed that the other half of the B Schedule properties should go to the first defendant because it related to the Puja in the Samadhi, the endowment for which purpose not being valid. Aggrieved by the judgment of the High Court the parties have preferred appeals against the common judgment in A. S. Nos. 114 and 194 of 1958. For the purpose of convenient reference, we will refer to the parties as plaintiffs and defendants according to their rank in the trial court.

3. The facts of the case are briefly as follows: By a deed, Ex. A-1, dated 10th September, 1885 five members of the family of one Nagu Reddi dedicated certain properties belonging to their family described in Schedules A and B to the plaint to two charities one called the Annadhana Chatram and the other called Sachidananda Matam situated in the Village of Vairichettipalayam. Besides the two charities, properties were endowed for the upkeep of one Karpaka Vinayakar temple constructed in the village by the ancestors of the founders and for certain Kattalais in Sabhanayagar temple in Chidambaram, Subramanyaswami temple in Palani and Arunachalaswami temple in Tiruvennamalai. On the same day the founders of the trust under Ex. A-2 nominated one of them, Ramalingachi Reddiar, as a trustee for the charities for life. After his lifetime his son, grandson and their descendants were to succeed. Under Ex. A-1 separate sets of properties were dedicated for each of the charities particulars of which will be referred to in due course. Ramalingachi Reddiar was managing the charities till he died in
























Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top