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1961 Supreme(Guj) 74

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :A.R.BAKSHI, V.B.RAJU
SHANTILAL KHIMCHAND - Appellant
Versus
MULCHAND DALICHAND - Respondent
First Appeal 99 of 1960
Decided On : 07/18/1961

Advocates Appeared: H.K.THAKORE, V.T.GAMBHIRWALA

Headnote:

Bombay Public Trusts Act 1950 - Section 22 - Indian Limitation Act - Section 22 - Management - Office of trustees - trustees to hand over charge of trust if taken by them to old trustees who were to continue management until validly appointed trustees take over charge from them - Appeal was preferred to Charity Commissioner and it was held therein that change in office of trustees had in fact taken place before of the change application and that as change had already been effected it must be recorded under of Act and that the legality and the validity of change could not be challenged in proceedings - Against this decision of Charity Commissioner an application of Act was preferred before the District Judge Broach who by his order allowed application and set aside order passed by Charity Commissioner – Held, Purpose of determining any period of limitation prescribed for any suit appeal or application by any special or local law provisions contained and section shall apply only in so far as and to extent to which they are not expressly excluded by such special or local law and remaining provisions of this Act shall not apply - Provisions of make it abundantly clear that provisions contained in shall apply to extent to which they are not expressly excluded by a special or a local law - Exclusion therefore that is referred to in said section must be specifically men - Tined as excluded in special or local law - What we have therefore to see is whether of Bombay Public Trusts Act provides for such a specific or express exclusion - All provides for is provisions of shall apply filing of such appeals but it does not exclude application on of the Indian Limitation Act to application - Appeal dismissed

A. R. BAKSHI, J.

( 1 ) THIS is an appeal under section 72 (4) of the Bombay Public Trusts Act against the order dated 22nd June 1957 passed by the learned District Judge Broach in Misc. Application No. 14 of 1956 filed before him under section 72 of the Bombay Public Trusts Act 1950 setting aside the order passed by the charity Commissioner in Change Application No. 181 of 1953.

( 2 ) A few facts relating to this matter may be stated. On 25th November 1953 a report of a change in the trustees was made to the Assistant Charity Commissioner under section 22 of the Act. That application was contested by those respondents who claimed themselves to be the members of the Broach Jain Sangh having the right to appoint trustees. An enquiry under the provisions of section 22 was started and was transferred to the Deputy Charity Commissioner was held the enquiry with the aid of assessors. On a consideration of the evidence the Deputy Charity Com- missioner held that the old trustees wanted to resign but it was for the Broach Vejalpore Jain Sangh to accept their resignations and to appoint new trustees and that the Ladwa Shrimali Jains who appointed the appli- cants before him as the new trustees had no such power. The Deputy Charity Commissioner also did not accept the contention raised on behalf of the respondents that the Ladwa Shrimali Jains and the Vejalpore Jain Sangh were an identical body. He therefore rejected the change report and ordered the new trustees to hand over the charge of the trust if taken by them to the old trustees who were to continue the management until validly appointed trustees take over the charge from them. Appeal No. 186 of 1954 was preferred to the Charity Commissioner under section 70 of the Act and it was held therein that the change in the office of the trustees had in fact taken place before the date of the change applica- tion and that as the change had already been effected it must be recorded under section 22 of the Act and that the legality and the validity of the change could not be challenged in proceedings under section 22. Against this decision of the Charity Commissioner an application under section 72 of the Act was preferred before the District Judge Broach who by his order dated 22nd June 1957 allowed the application and set aside the order passed by the Charity Commissioner. It is over this order that the present appeal is preferred before us.

( 3 ) MR. A. N. Surti appearing on behalf of the appellants has urged three points before us viz. (1) That the application to the District Judge against the order of the Charity Commissioner was barred by limitation as provided under section 72 (1) of the Act. (2) That the scope of an enquiry under section 22 of the Act was limited to the fact of the occurrence of the change and cannot include an inquiry into the question of its validity. (3) That the Ladwa Shrimali Jain Sangh consisting of the appellants was competent to appoint new trustees and that therefore the change must have been recorded.

( 4 ) ON the issue of limitation the learned District Judge held against the appellants. Likewise the issue as regards the scope of the inquiry was also decided against the appellants. As regards the third issue which was an issue of fact the learned District Judge decided that the Ladwa Shrimali Jain Panch of Vejalpore was not identical with the Vejalpore Jain Sangh which must be taken to be a larger body and therefore the Ladwa Shrimali Jain Panch had no authority to accept the resignations of the old trustees and to appoint new ones.

( 5 ) AS regards the point of limitation Mr. Surti has urged that the appli- cation has been filed after 60 days from the order of the Charity Commissioner and that sections 4 and 12 (2) of the Limitation Act being inapplicable to the proceedings under the Bombay Public Trusts Act none of those sections can save the period of limitation prescribed under the Bombay Public Trusts Act Mr. Surti has referred to section 75 of the Ac





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