SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM TRUST Vs. R. RAMANATHAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Leave granted.

(2.) The dispute that has arisen in this appeal is one that could have and ought to have been settled in the first instance in the Trial Court. Unfortunately, the feelings (if not the animosity) between the parties have run so high that any meaningful discussion between them to sort out the pending issues has been ruled out. When feelings are strong (and get further hardened over time) and tempers are high, there is a loss of balance and equilibrium. It is unfortunate that this state of mind has persisted with both parties who are well educated and perhaps have a philosophical and spiritual bent of mind, being trustees and residents of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and followers of Sri Aurobindo.

(3.) On our part, we attempted to amicably sort out the problem between the parties, but one of them refused to appreciate the meaning of 'dissociation' while the other expressed the view that mere dissociation was not enough and there must be condemnation! At the end of the day, we felt that each party wanted to score a brownie point over the other, little realizing that while they would be left with some ephemeral brownie points, the brownies (and the cream) would be shared by somebody else. In another decision altogether, this Court had occasion to remark that public trusts for charitable and religious purpose are run for the benefit of the public. No individual should take benefit from them. If the persons in management of the trusts are subjected to multiplicity of legal proceedings, funds which are to be used for charitable or religious purposes would be wasted on litigation. (Vidyodaya Trust v. Mohan Prasad, 2008 4 SCC 115 ). How true.