RAMASAMI GOUNDAN Vs. ALAGIA SINGAPERUMAL KADAVUL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This suit was brought by a male reversioner to the estate of the founder of a trust for the temple of Aligia Singaperumal Kadavul to recover property-alienated in favour of first defendant by the act of the founder's wife, who is 2nd defendant. The District Munsif held that the plaintiff was not entitled to maintain the suit and dismissed it. The Additional Subordinate Judge was of a contrary opinion and ordered the suit to go on.

(2.) He relied on two cases, Savala Cunniah Chetly V/s. Thiruvengada Ramanujachariar 18 Ind. Cas. 622 : 24 M.L.J. 348 and Kadavibi Srinivasacharlu v. Durlabha Subuddhi 17 Ind. Cas. 589 : 23 M.L.J. 348. Both of these decisions were given in suits instituted when the C.P.C. of 1882 was in force. When the amended Act of 1908 came into force, it contained a new provision in Clause (2) of Section 92 barring suits in respect of charitable and religious trusts without first obtaining the permission of the Advocate General.

(3.) We have been referred in the course of the arguments to two other cases Subramania Aiyar V/s. Nagaratlma Naicker 5 Ind. Cas. 901 : 20 M.L.J. 151 : 8 M.L.T. 114 and Rangaswami Nayudu V/s. Krishnaswami Aiyar 71 Ind. Cas. 463 : 17 L.W. 147 : 44 M.L.J. 116 : (1923) M.W.N. 84 : 32 M.L.T. 133 : A.I.R. 1923 Mad. 276. These were cases in which a number of persons had a common interest in a temple or charitable institution, and a representative suit was allowed by the Court to be brought on behalf of all, under Section 30 of the Code of 1882 (now Order I, Rule 8). When a village temple is owned in common by all the villagers of a certain village, this is the proper form of suing. In the present case the founder of the trust appointed himself as manager during his lifetime and his heirs after his death. His widow, who is second defendant, is his nearest heir, and as she alienated the trust property, she cannot be transposed as plaintiff. The reversioner cannot claim at present to be trustee. The proper course is for the plaintiff, together with one or more interested persons, after obtaining the required sanction under Section 92 to sue for 2nd defendant's removal from the trusteeship, and for appointment of himself or some other fit person to be trustee in her place. In such a suit the validity of the alienation could be decided.