Karnataka High Court
C.CHIKKA VENKATAPPA - Appellant
Versus
D.HANUMANTHAPPA - Respondent
Decided On : 01-30-70
R.F.A. : 171 of 1963
ACCOUNTABILITY - Devanga Sangha - Societies Registration Act of 1904 - The court discussed the legal value of the facts and found that the suit was entirely misconceived in law and wholly unnecessary on facts. The suit was dismissed, and the plaintiffs were ordered to pay costs to the defendants.
Fact of the Case:
The suit was filed under S. 92 CPC by the plaintiffs, members of the Devanga Sangha, seeking the removal of the defendants from their offices and proper accounts of the collections made for the Silver Jubilee Building Fund. The defendants were members of the Executive Council of the Sangha.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the suit was entirely misconceived in law and wholly unnecessary on facts. The suit was dismissed, and the plaintiffs were ordered to pay costs to the defendants.
Issues: The main issues were whether the suit attracted the provisions of S. 92 CPC and whether the suit was properly framed for securing relief.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the suit was unnecessary and misconceived in law, as there was no grievance in contemplation of law that could be taken note of by the court. The court also found that the accounts of the Building Sub-Committee had been accepted by the Executive Council, the Donors, and the General Body of the Sangha.
Final Decision: The suit was dismissed, and the plaintiffs were ordered to pay costs to the defendants.
( 1 ) THESE two appeals arise out of OS. No. 33 of 1956 filed before the Court of the District Judge, Civil Station, Bangalore, under S 92 CPC. Five persons who had obtained the consent of the Advocate General required under the said section figured as the plaintiffs in the first instance subsequently, plaintiffs Nos 4 and 5 dropped out of the suit and the suit was continued only by the first three plaintiffs. The defendants are five in number. The prayers in the plaint were that the defendants should be removed from the offices they held in the Devanga Sangha (of which all the parties other than the 4th plaintiff were members) and that the defendants should be directed to render true and proper accounts in regard to the collections made by them on behalf of the Sangha in connection with the Silver Jubilee Building Fund of the Sangha. The first prayer was not granted. The second prayer was granted only by directing defendants 2 and 3 to render accounts. The suit was dismissed against defendants 1, 4, and 5. Defendants 2 and 3 have preferred Appeal No. 171 (1963 against the decree for accounts made against them. Plaintiffs have preferred Appeal no 9/1964 complaining against the dismissal of the suit as against defendants 1, 4 and 5
( 2 ) ALTHOUGH fairly lengthy pleadings were presented and voluminous evidence, both oral and documentary, was brought on record, we find that the few facts a correct assessment of the legal value whereof is sufficient to make a full and satisfactory disposal of the controversies in the suit, are either admitted or proved by reliable documents, which are either undisputed or are clearly indisputable.
( 3 ) THERE is in Bangalore an association called the Devanga Sangha, which was registered as a society on the 12th of February 1924 under the mysore Societies Registration Act of 1904 Like all other societies of that nature, the Sangha is governed by a Memorandum of Association, a set of articles of Association and subsidiary bye-laws framed by the Society the objects of the Sangha set out in the Memorandum are to advance the educational, economic and social welfare of the members of the Devanga community who are a section of Hindus The membership is limited to those belonging to the said community and is subject to payment of donations or periodical subscriptions There are, as in other cases, different classes of members like Patrons who are called by two different Kannada names 'poshaka and Sahayaka', Life members, Hon. members and ordinary members. The management of affairs of the Sangha is vested in a body called the Executive Council consisting of a President, four Vice presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer and 50 other members
( 4 ) IN October 1950, by which time the Sangha had completed 25 years of its existence, the Executive Council resolved to commemorate the event bv putting up a building to be called the Silver Jubilee Building of the sangha A sub-committee of seven members was appointed consisting of plaintiffs 1 and 2 and defendants 1 to 5 The 2nd defendant was appointed the convenor of that sub-committee The sub-committee was charged with the duty of collecting donations for the proposed building and attending to all details of its construction.
( 5 ) DONATIONS were collected solely from members of the Sangha itself. The progress of the collection of donations and construction of the building was, from time to time, made mention of in the Annual reports of the Sangha, Exts. P-3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. In Ext. P-3 which is the report for the year 1950, it is reported that the work in connection with the building was progressing briskly, that Rs. 35,000 had already been spent and rs. 30,000 more was expected to be spent on further works and that a sum of Rs. 33,000 alone had been collected. When this report was made, the first plaintiff was the Secretary of the Sangha. In Ext. P-4, the report for the year 1951, it is reported that Rs. 1,08,000 had been collected by way of donations an
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