#public trust

Karnataka High Court affirms that Government 'B' Kharab land is inalienable, dismissing petitions to quash FIRs under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The ruling underscores the necessity of investigation into alleged illegal conversion by public servants to uphold public trust and land revenue laws.

The Bombay High Court ruled that worshippers possess an independent civil right to access a registered public trust dargah, rendering any private lease terms that limit prayer hours or entry void. This affirms that statutory protections for public religious access under the Bombay Public Trusts Act supersede contractual arrangements, impacting all religious sites held in public trust across Maharashtra.

The Karnataka High Court has ruled that a public servant who forges documents to manipulate land mutation entries commits serious service misconduct, making Lokayukta proceedings valid despite the availability of civil remedies under the Land Revenue Act. This clarifies that administrative integrity trumps procedural alternatives when public trust is breached through fraud, directly impacting village accountants and revenue officials across Karnataka.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court clarified that while Section 32 of the M.P. Public Trusts Act bars unregistered trusts from having their suits heard or decided, it does not prohibit filing. Registration lifts the jurisdictional bar, mandating fresh adjudication on merits. This ruling impacts all unregistered public trusts seeking legal recourse in property and asset disputes.

Supreme Court strikes down Bihar's 2015 Act seizing a century-old private trust, ruling that complete acquisition without evidence of mismanagement or public interest violates Article 14. The judgment reinforces that state intervention in private trusts must pass the 'manifest arbitrariness' test, protecting hereditary trustees' rights under the Indian Trusts Act.

The Bombay High Court has affirmed that the Charity Commissioner can override hereditary succession in public trusts only when there is clear evidence of neglect or mismanagement under Section 50A of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act. This ruling reinforces that lineage alone cannot dictate trustee appointments in charitable institutions, strengthening accountability in public trust administration.

Bombay High Court holds that Section 41A of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act does not empower Charity Commissioners to order public apologies unrelated to trust property or income.