Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920
No: 14 Dated: Mar, 20 1920
THE CHARITABLE AND RELIGIOUS TRUSTS ACT, 1920
ACT NO. 14 OF 1920
An Act to provide more effectual control over the administration of Charitable and Religious Trusts.
WHEREAS it is expedient to provide facilities for the obtaining of information regarding trusts created for public purposes of a charitable or religious nature, and to enable the trustees of such trusts to obtain the directions of a Court on certain matters, and to make special provision for the payment of the expenditure incurred in certain suits against the trustees of such trusts;
It is hereby enacted as follows:—
1. Short title and extent.— (1) This Act may be called the Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920.
(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir:
Provided that the Government of any State may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that this Act, or any specified part thereof, shall not extend to that State or any specified area therein or to any specified trust or class of trusts.
2. Interpretation.— In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context, “the Court” means the Court of the District Judge or any other Court empowered in that behalf by the State Government and includes the High Court in the exercise of its ordinary original civil jurisdiction.
3. Power to apply to the Court in respect of trusts of a charitable or religious nature.— Save as hereinafter provided in this Act, any person having interest in any express or constructive trust created or existing for public purpose of a charitable or religious nature may apply by petition to the court within the local limits of whose jurisdiction any substantial part of the subject-matter of the trust is situate to obtain an order embodying all or any of the following directions, namely:—
(1) directing the trustee to furnish the petitioner through the Court with particulars as to the nature and objects of the trust, and of the value, condition, management and application of the subject-matter of the trust, and of the income belonging thereto, or as to any of these matters, and
(2) directing that the accounts of the trust shall be examined and audited:
Provided that no person shall apply for any such direction in respect of accounts relating to a period more than three years prior to the date of the petition.