Mumbai: Hearing complaint of negligence, misappropriation and breach of trust, the Joint Charity Commissioner has removed trustees of a religious charitable organisation and appointed administrators to run it.
Assistant Charity Commissioner (I) and Assistant Charity Commissioner (hospital) have been directed to take over the charge of Bombay Diocesan Trust Association Pvt Ltd (BDTA) Trust and to look after day-to-day management and administration of the organisation.
They have been directed to hold election of the trust as per the provisions of Articles of Association within six months (by June 2013) and report compliance to the authority.
However, the administrators have been asked to refrain from taking any policy decision.
The order was passed recently by M S Jawalkar, Joint Charity Commissioner, on a complaint filed by two members of the Christian community through advocate S M Shettigar.
The Joint Charity Commissioner also dismissed a senior trustee of BDTA Trust, removed seven other trustees for six months and another trustee for five years.
The administrators have also been asked to hold an inquiry in respect of the trust properties and find out how many properties have been sold in the past and whether the deal was in accordance with the rules.
The administrators have also been asked to ascertain losses incurred by the trust due to misappropriation, negligence and breach of trust committed by trustees.
The trust was formed to promote Christian religion in India and to receive and hold as a custodian trustee, various properties belonging to them.
The trust has several prime properties in Mumbai, the most prominent being Afghan Church, Trust office near Bombay Gymkhana and Claire Road property at Byculla. The Trust also owns various other places in Maharashtra at Pune and Matheran and out of Maharashtra in Karnataka and Gujarat.
Four aggrieved trustees had appealed in a civil court here challenging the order of Joint Charity Commissioner removing them from the trust. In the appeal, to be heard soon, they have sought a stay on the order removing them as trustees and denied their role in the charges against them.
PTI
