One by one,all Gujarat Congress leaders paid visit to seer!(Video)

Ahmedabad, 6 December, 2011

The entire sequence was interesting enough. On Tuesday, one- by-one all major Gujarat Congress leaders came to Ahmedabad’s Shahpur based Adwait Ashram and met Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Dwarka peeth. They all spent about half-an-hour time and prominently discussed the Gujarat Public Trust (Amendment) 2011 act among other issues.

First to meet Shankaracharya was Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia. Former Gujarat Congress President Siddharth Patel was with Modhwadia. After the meeting was over, Gujarat Congress President told media persons that Shankaracharya and Gujarat Congress have same stand on Gujarat government’s Gujarat Public Trust (Amendment) act 2011.

In the evening, former Gujarat Chief Minister and senior Gujarat Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela arrived at Adwait ashram to meet Shankaracharya. He too spent about half-an-hour and talked about Gujarat government’s new trust act among other issues.

As soon as Shri Vaghela finished his meeting and departed, leader of opposition in Gujarat assembly Shri Shaktisinh Gohil too arrived at the ashram and met Shri Shankaracharya.

Shaktisinh told media persons that he discussed new Trust act and the issue of decreasing area of gauchar(grazing land reserved for cows)land in the state.

What is new Trust act?

It should be mentioned here that Gujarat assembly had passed the Gujarat Public Trust (Amendment) Bill in March 2011. Gujarat Governor Kamala Beniwal cleared this bill in June 2011. Once notified, the Act will replace the Bombay Public Trusts Act,1950.

It is not exactly clear, what the new law will actually bring, but as per the basic details available, the new law is aimed at removing existing provisions for sale of trusts, life-time trusteeship and inheritance of trusteeship by family members. The new act will come into action only after it is notified. The notification is delayed possibly by strong opposition by influential Jain and Hindu trustees of influential religious and social trusts.

As per the details available, the new act will keep a strict check over sale of trusts for tax evasion and money laundering in the name of trust activities, as many public trusts have become tools for hawala also. The new act also seeks to control the practice of inherited trusteeship by family members. Appointment and functioning of trustees will also be regulated by the new Act.

The state government will also constitute Gujarat Public Trusts Tribunals with powers to hear appeals against the charity commissioner, the joint charity commissioner or the assistant charity commissioner.

While other parts of the act remain the same, the proposed tribunal (or tribunals, as decided by a government notification later),will be headed by a person who is qualified to be a district judge. It will also have senior civil judges as other members, whose number will be decided by the government notification. The state government had sanctioned Rs 9.23 crore to set up the new tribunal.

The proposed Act says the tribunal will have the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure,1908, in respect of enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath, compelling the production of documents and material objects and designating commissioners for the examination of witnesses.

Every inquiry or investigation by the tribunal will be deemed to be a judicial proceeding within the meaning of the Sections 193 and 228 of the Indian Penal Code, the proposed Act says.

The decision of the tribunal will be final and no suit shall lie in any civil court in respect of the matters decided by it.

All NGOs are at present registered with the charity commissioner, who is empowered to hear all cases. The new Act will also put strong regulations over the NGOs in the state.

While some dubious NGOs definitely need check, majority of other trusts are almost in mood of agitation against government’s move to issue a notification.