Public Trust Act kept on hold

Under pressure from various religious trusts over certain provisions of The Gujarat Public Trust Act 2011, the state government has put on hold its implementation, even as a committee has been constituted to look into the matter.

"Various religious heads have expressed reservations about some provisions in the amended bill. We do not want them to face any difficulty, and have decided to put off its implementation for the time being," law minister Dileep Sanghani said.

Sanghani said a committee, comprising religious leaders and senior government officials, has been constituted to look into the concerns of the religious trusts and suggest remedial measures.

"We have decided not to implement the new law till the religious leaders and heads are fully satisfied with its provisions," he said.

Sanghani, however, added that many religious and charitable trusts had been given land worth crores of rupees at nominal rates, and that such trusts could not be treated as personal fiefdoms. He claimed that provisions in the bill were made to ensure that proper checks were in place.

The bill, which will replace The Bombay Public Trust Act 1950, is aimed at removing existing provisions for sale of trusts, appointment and functioning of trustees, inheritance of trusteeship by family members, among others.

"The law will help keep a check on the sale of trusts for tax evasion," say officials.

The religious heads have demanded more than one dozen amendments in the bill. Officials say that the government could bring an entirely new bill with liberal provisions for regulating religious trusts.

The minister also took a dig at Congress president Arjun Modhwadia for politicising the issue. He said Modhwadia had supported the bill in the assembly, and was now criticising some of its provisions.

The Congress president had recently alleged that the state government was trying to gain control of all public trusts and make them run like government departments.