Alfred Henry Lionel Leach, C.J.

1. In 1933 an application was made by 20 worshippers of the Sri Alagiananibirayar temple in the Tinnevelly District to the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Board for an order directing an inquiry to be held into the question whether the Board should frame a scheme for the administration of the temple and its endowments. The Board held an inquiry and as the result of the investigation decided that it was not necessary to frame a scheme. The applicants then filed a suit in the Court of the District Judge of Tinnevelly with the object of obtaining the settlement of a scheme under a decree of the Court. The suit was defended by the trustee, who is the respondent in this appeal. It is unnecessary to set out all the objections to the suit. It is sufficient to say that the main objection was that the Court had no power to frame a scheme. On this question a preliminary issue was framed and was answered by the District Judge in favour of the plaintiffs. Thereupon the respondent applied to this Court to reverse the order in exercise of its revisional powers. The application was heard by Venkataramana Rao, J., who decided that the District Judge had err