Societies Registration Act, 1860

The Mother Superior, Infant Jesus Franciscan Clarist Convent, a charitable society registered under the Societies Registration Act, owned land on which a Kudikidappu Karan (homestead dweller) resided. The society sought to construct an orphanage and applied to the government to acquire a new site for the homestead dwel…

The case concerned the purported unification of the First District Church of the Brethren (FDCB) with the Church of North India (CNI). The appellants claimed that the unification dissolved FDCB, making CNI its legal successor and entitled to its property, which was held in a public trust regulated by the Bombay Public …

The dispute concerned the management of Salafi Juma Masjid, a waqf registered under the Waqf Act, 1995. The Mahal Committee, claiming to be a local (Sakha) unit of the registered society Kerala Naduvathil Mujahideen, sued the Salafi Trust seeking a declaration that a certificate of registration issued under s.36 of the…

The appellant, a research officer, was charged with submitting a false bill and later with disobeying an order, leading to his dismissal from service. He filed a suit for declaration and injunction to restrain his dismissal, which was dismissed by the Subordinate Judge on the ground that his remedy lay in damages. Subs…

The Commissioner of Income Tax-III, Pune challenged the assessment of Sinhgad Technical Education Society, a charitable educational institution, which was treated as an Association of Persons after a search under Section 132 revealed alleged capitation fees. The Assessing Officer issued a notice under Section 153C for …

The dispute concerned the spiritual heirship and control of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission, a religious society, after the death of its founder. Members of the society filed a suit seeking an ex‑parte injunction restraining P. Rajagopalachari from acting as President, which was later set aside by the High Court and the s…

M/s Meena Devi Jindal Medical Institute & Research Centre challenged a land acquisition made under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, on the ground that the notification merely stated "planned development of Delhi" without specifying the purpose, rendering it vague. The High Court dismissed the writ petition,…

The Kerala Government issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 to acquire a small parcel of land bearing a shop owned by K.K. Pankajakshy, alleging the need to provide a passage for the annual temple procession of Sree Jagannath Temple managed by Jnaneda Ya Yogam. The High Court held that the acquisit…

The Royal Garden Residents Welfare Association (the complainant) entered into a maintenance agreement with M/s Padmini Infrastructure Developers (India) Ltd (the opposite party) on 15 November 2003 and later filed a consumer complaint in 2007 alleging incomplete and non‑functional amenities. The National Consumer Dispu…

The Rajasthan Government dissolved Avas Vikas Sansthan (AVS) after it incurred heavy losses and offered its 604 employees alternative employment in various local bodies, conditional on affidavits that they would not claim continuity of service or pay protection. The employees accepted the scheme, but the Rajasthan High…

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) amended its Rule 18 to introduce a "One Bar One Vote" principle, restricting voting rights to advocates who regularly practice before the Supreme Court. Two SCBA members, B.D. Kaushik and A.K. Manchanda, challenged the amendment and obtained an interim injunction restraining its…

The appellant, the heirs of the deceased Ratan Lal, challenged the Delhi High Court's order granting letters of administration to the Jain Society, a body registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, under Section 236 of the Indian Succession Act. The Supreme Court examined whether a society qualifies as a ju…

The Society Common Cause filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking a declaration that the "right to die with dignity" is a fundamental right under Article 21 and that persons should be allowed to execute a living will or attorney authorization to refuse life‑prolonging treatment. The petitioners argued that termin…

The petitioners challenged the Indian Council of World Affairs Act, 2001, alleging that it violated Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 19(1)(c) and 300A of the Constitution by taking over the assets of the Indian Council of World Affairs Society and by being enacted in defiance of a prior High Court judgment that had struck down a…

The case involved three trusts registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, where several change notices for appointment and deletion of trustees were filed. The Assistant Charity Commissioner approved a change notice without conducting the mandatory enquiry, prompting the Joint Charity Commissioner to remand th…

V.K. Srivastava, a salesman employed by Uttar Pradesh Rajya Karmachari Kalyan Nigam, was terminated and filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution. The corporation contended that it was not a "State" within Article 12, rendering the petition non‑maintainable; the Allahabad High Court dismissed the peti…

The DAV College Managing Committee, holder of a registered trademark for "DAV" and "Dayanand Anglo Vedic", filed four suits in the Delhi District Court under Section 134 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 against several schools in Chennai that were using the same mark. The Chennai schools filed transfer petitions under Sect…

The Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, a charitable society, faced a dispute over the validity of its 2002 executive elections after the President, Vice‑President, Secretary and other office‑bearers had died, leaving a Working President, Adv. Babasaheb Wasade, to manage affairs. Sixteen members requested a meeting to elect a ne…

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) created two separate cadres – Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for scientists and Technical Service (TS) for technical staff – each governed by distinct service rules. A 1999 scheme granted scientists two advance increments upon acquiring a Ph.D., but technical staf…

The Confederation of Ex‑Servicemen Associations filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking free and full medical aid for ex‑defence personnel, their families and dependents, arguing that such aid is a fundamental right under Articles 14 and 21. The Union of India responded that the Ex‑Servicemen Contributory Health…

The Nagri Praccharini Sabha, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, was sued by five of its members in a civil court challenging the election of its managing committee and seeking rendition of its accounts. The society contended that Sections 23 and 25 of the Act barred the suit. The Supreme C…

The Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) College Trust and Management Society, a Hindi‑speaking institution, sought recognition as a linguistic minority educational institution in Maharashtra. Although initially granted, the state withdrew the status on the ground that most trustees resided outside Maharashtra and therefore were…

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, was embroiled in a leadership dispute when a faction of members requisitioned a special general meeting to move a no‑confidence motion against President B.S. Adityan and the Executive Council. The Executive Council de…

The Institute of Engineering and Rural Technology (IERT), a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, decided to close one of its centres, retrenching 105 employees. The employees filed a writ petition seeking their absorption under the Uttar Pradesh Absorption of Retrenched Employees of Government…

The case concerned two teachers who challenged actions taken against them by the Air Force School, Bamrauli, alleging that the school was a "state or authority" under Article 12 of the Constitution and therefore subject to writ jurisdiction under Article 226. The majority held that the school, managed by the Indian Air…

The India Literacy Board, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, appointed the respondents as teachers on a fixed‑term contractual basis for periods ranging from eight to thirteen years. After the contracts expired, the Board advertised fresh recruitment, but the respondents filed a writ petition un…

Sheela Barse, a freelance journalist, filed a writ petition challenging the operation of observation homes run by the Children’s Aid Society, Bombay, alleging that children were forced to work without pay, faced hazardous conditions, and suffered delays in repatriation. The Bombay High Court issued directions to improv…

The Maharashtra State Board of Wakfs was incorporated on 4 January 2002 and subsequently published lists of wakf properties on 13 November 2003 and 30 December 2004. Several Muslim public trusts challenged the Board’s constitution, the validity of the lists, and the applicability of Section 13(2) of the Wakf Act, 1995,…

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) withheld grant-in-aid to the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) after multiple committees found irregularities such as fake qualifications, unauthorized promotions and misuse of funds. Seventeen CRRID employees filed a writ petition seek…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal by NOIDA Toll Bridge Company Ltd. (NTBCL) against a High Court order that halted toll collection on the Delhi‑NOIDA Direct Flyway (DND Flyway). The dispute arose from a 1997 Concession Agreement granting NTBCL the right to build, operate and collect tolls, which a residents' welfare…

The Assam Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti, a registered society promoting Hindi, was managed by elected bodies until a 1983 amendment removed the Chief Minister as ex‑officio president. In 1984 the Chief Minister invoked emergency powers, dissolved the elected committees and formed an ad‑hoc board, after which the Governo…

The appellant, a Mahila cooperative society, challenged the award of a contract for supplying fortified blended food under the Integrated Child Development Scheme, arguing that the eligibility criteria in the Expression of Interest (EOI) were arbitrary and that the contract period should be limited to one year. The Hig…

The Delhi Government framed a scheme under the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) to supply supplementary nutrition through Anganwadi Centres, inviting NGOs with at least three years of registration to apply. Three NGOs challenged the three‑year eligibility rule, arguing it was irrational, violated Article 14’…

The Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), a society under the Societies Registration Act, issued an advertisement on 16‑08‑2016 for the post of Director. Three writ petitions challenged the advertisement on grounds of lack of age‑relaxation, alleged non‑conformity of experience requirements with Medical Counci…

The case arose from several writ and review petitions filed by senior scientists of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and its affiliates alleging discrimination in pay scales, illegal selection procedures, and denial of statutory rights. The petitioners claimed that ICAR, though registered as a society…

The appellant, Terapalli Dyvasahata Kumar, filed a petition under Section 23 of the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2001, seeking declarations and injunctions concerning the management of a society. The District Court allowed the petition, holding that "District Court concerned" should be interpreted using t…

Chaman Lal, a former truck driver employed by the Fish Farmers Development Agency (a society) and later absorbed into a government department, sought retirement benefits based on his total service. The lower courts dismissed his claim, and he argued that a similarly situated individual, Charanjit Lal, had obtained a pe…

The appellants, former employees of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), challenged their termination, arguing that CSIR is a "State" within Article 12 of the Constitution and therefore subject to fundamental rights protections. The High Court dismissed the writ petition relying on Sabhajit Tewary,…

The Hindu public sued Rajdhani Puja Samithi, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, alleging that the temples, mandap, library, shops and other structures on a 90‑year government lease constitute a public religious endowment. The Society argued that it was a secular body, that a society could …

The landlord, Ram Saran, let a shop to a tenant who later formed a registered society, Mahavir Gram Udyog Samiti, comprising himself and his family, and began paying rent through the society as its President. The landlord sought eviction under Section 14 of the Himachal Pradesh Urban Rent Control Act, 1971, alleging un…

The case concerned a slum rehabilitation project in Lower Parel, Mumbai, where a developer and a minority group of hutment dwellers (Sayunkta Sangharsh Samiti) entered into a private Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allocate flats in towers D, E and F exclusively to the society members, bypassing the Slum Rehabilit…

S. Sreesanth, a registered cricketer, was alleged to have participated in spot‑fixing during an IPL match on 9 May 2013, accepting Rs 10 lakh to concede 14 runs in an over. A one‑man BCCI commission prepared a preliminary report based on video and telephone recordings, and after Sreesanth’s release from police custody,…

The Mount Carmel School Society applied to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for four acres of land to run a senior secondary school, and the Institutional Allotment Committee recommended the full allotment. The DDA, however, made a policy decision to allot only two acres. The Society filed writ petitions alleging …

The Society, formed by officers and employees of the Ordinance Equipment Factory (OEF), operated a CBSE‑affiliated secondary school in OEF premises on an annual rent of Rs 3,904. The OEF Board later ordered the school to cease operation after the 2005‑06 academic session, demanded payment of a large lease rent and prem…

The Indian Evangelical Lutheran Church, originally registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, later fell under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. After elections were conducted under an Advocate Commissioner, the Commissioner reported that the society had become defunct. The Madras High Court …

Employees of the State Council of Education, Research and Training (SCERT) filed a writ petition seeking pension, gratuity and other benefits, alleging that SCERT was a "State" under Article 12 and thus bound to implement Regulation 67. The Delhi High Court held SCERT to be a State and directed it to extend the benefit…

The dispute concerned the appointment of the Madathipathi (head) of the Shiva Kanchi Udasi Math, Kanchipuram. The Math was founded by a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and its deed stipulated that succession should follow the Sishya Parampara (guru‑to‑disciple). After the death of the las…

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by the victims of an interstate child‑trafficking racket challenging the High Court's grant of bail to thirteen accused persons charged under IPC sections 363, 311 and 370(5). The Court found that the High Court had ignored crucial factors such as the seriousness of the offence,…

The respondents, a retired army officer and his wife, were allotted a dwelling unit by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) under a housing scheme. They were also members of the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO), a cooperative society registered under the Societies Registration Act, which had obtained land and all…

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (India) (IME) conducts bi‑annual examinations and awards a Certificate of Membership (AMIE). Historically, the Government of India recognised this certificate as equivalent to a degree or diploma for Central Government recruitment, but the High Court held it was not equivalent to…

Govind Rao Harshe mortgaged his house and land, and a decree for sale was obtained by the mortgagees. The property was auctioned on 20 August 1942 and the bid was knocked down in favour of Gopal Rao Mutatkar, who was a member of Sagar Mahila Vidyalaya. The auction sale was confirmed on 10 April 1943 under Order XXI Rul…

The appellants, employees of the Air Force Group Insurance Society (AFGIS), challenged the Society's decision to revise their pay scales without linking them to the Sixth Pay Commission, filing writ petitions in the Delhi High Court. The High Court dismissed the petitions, holding that AFGIS could not be classified as …

The State Government sought to acquire 15 acres of land for a housing scheme for the State Gov't Employees Houseless Harijan Association, a society registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act. After a series of notifications under the Land Acquisition Act, the government withdrew the acquisition by issuin…

The appellant, an employee of the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), was dismissed in a disciplinary proceeding and challenged the order before the High Court, which held that ICPS was not a "State" within Article 12 and thus not amenable to writ jurisdiction. The Supreme Court was asked to d…

The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) allotted land to several housing societies, including the Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO), under a 99‑year lease deed that required the societies to construct residential buildings. After the societies built the super‑structures, NOIDA issued notices direc…

The Supreme Court examined whether the admission of 22 persons, including the appellants, as members of Prabodhan Education Society on 17 September 2017 was valid despite a pending no‑confidence requisition against the then Managing Committee. The Registrar had set aside that admission as illegal and arbitrary, a decis…

The Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI), a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, operates as an autonomous body with its own service rules that do not provide for pension benefits. The State of Maharashtra, in a 2005 policy decision, resolved that employees of aided institutes and auton…

The Supreme Court examined a public‑interest writ filed by Padma challenging CIDCO's bulk sale of developable land in Aurangabad. The High Court had held that the allotments to several private entities were made without Board approval, at prices below the reserve price, and in violation of Section 115 of the Maharashtr…

The Tata Memorial Hospital Workers Union, a trade union registered under the Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions and Prevention of Unfair Labour Practices Act, 1971, sought to maintain its recognition against a rival workers' association. The rival argued that the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) was under the Central Go…

The State of Uttar Pradesh, under its 2001 Film Policy, offers a subsidy to films made in regional languages. SK Theatre Productions produced a Hindi film and applied for a subsidy under clause 23.3, which the Department interpreted as 25% of the processing charges only, limiting the amount to Rs. 10 lakh. The petition…

The Supreme Court examined the constitutional validity of the Auroville (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1980, which authorised the Government of India to take over the management of the Auroville township for a limited period due to alleged mismanagement and fund diversion by the Sri Aurobindo Society. The petitioners chal…

The Sindhi Education Society, a linguistic minority school in Delhi, challenged a 1989 government circular that made reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in teaching posts a condition for receiving grant‑in‑aid under Rule 64(1)(b) of the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973. The Society argued that, as a…

National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) had established two schools for the children of its employees and entered into management agreements with external trusts. The school staff filed writ petitions claiming they were employees of NALCO and entitled to parity of pay with NALCO's own workers. The High Court held that …

The Swacch Association filed a public‑interest litigation alleging that Futala Tank in Nagpur was a wetland and that several constructions – a musical fountain, a viewer’s gallery, a parking plaza and an artificial banyan tree – were permanent structures violating the Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017. T…

The petition challenged Section 4(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1981, as amended in 2016, which grants former Chief Ministers a lifetime right to government accommodation. Earlier, the Supreme Court had struck down the 1997 Rules that provided similar benefit…

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) had been directed by the Supreme Court in 2011 to identify regular practitioners for voting rights under the "One Bar One Vote" principle. While the Implementation Committee was carrying out this task, the SCBA held a General Body Meeting on 16 January 2012 that passed resolutio…

The State of Maharashtra appealed a Bombay High Court order that had exempted charitable educational institutions, run by Shri Vile Parle Kelvani Mandal, from electricity duty levied after 1 September 2016. The institutions argued that under the earlier Maharashtra Electricity Duty Act, 1958 they were exempt, and conte…

The Peoples Rights and Social Research Centre (PRASAR), a Delhi‑based NGO, filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking relief for the widespread occurrence of silicosis among workers in mining, construction, stone‑cutting and sand‑blasting industries. The petition alleged violations of fundamental rights under Artic…

The dispute concerned the eligibility of 38 persons listed in the electoral roll for the 1996 election of the managing committee of Vidya Vardhak Sangh, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act and the Bombay Public Trust Act. The appellants argued that the election was void because the 38 persons were…

The respondent, Radhey Shyam Rai, was dismissed from his post as Computer Officer in the Uttar Pradesh Ganna Kishan Sansthan, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, and challenged the dismissal before the High Court, raising the question of whether the Sansthan is a 'State' within the meaning of Art…

The Veterinary Council of India (VCI) framed Regulation 5(8) under the Veterinary Council Act, 1984, authorising it to conduct an All India Common Entrance Examination to fill 15% of seats in veterinary colleges. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) also claimed the right to conduct the test and advertise…

The appellant Kendriya Vidyalaya denied admission to Saurabh Chaudhary for class XI because his Class X CBSE marks fell below the cut‑off prescribed in the school’s admission guidelines, and offered him a place in another Central School. The student challenged the denial, invoking the Supreme Court’s earlier decision i…

The case concerned a dispute over the user of a 7,224‑sq‑yd plot in Mumbai leased to Abhinav Sahakar Education Society for a school, which the Municipal Corporation had originally earmarked as a playground in the draft development plan. The State Government later modified the plan, first by a 1985 notification reservin…

The landlord filed a suit for eviction, arrears of rent and damages against the tenant, alleging that the premises were not covered by the Uttar Pradesh Urban Buildings (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972 because the building was less than ten years old at the time of filing. The tenant contended that …

The All India Sainik Schools Employees Association filed a petition under Article 32 seeking a mandamus directing the Sainik School Society to grant its employees the same service benefits and equal pay as those of Kendriya Vidyalaya (KVS) staff. The Court examined whether the Society, a body registered under the Socie…

The Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC), a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in 1919 with a religious purpose, sought exemption from the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. The State Government granted limited exemptions, leading to multiple writ petitions and appeals contestin…

Operation Asha, a not‑for‑profit society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, provides health services to the under‑privileged. After the society’s CEO terminated co‑founder Dr. Shelly Batra, she and her mother filed a suit under Section 92 of the Code of Civil Procedure alleging financial impropriety…

Laxmi Engineering Works, a small‑scale proprietary concern, bought a CNC universal turning machine from P.S.G. Industrial Institute and alleged it was defective, claiming Rs. 4 lakhs. The Maharashtra Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission allowed part of the claim, but the National Consumer Commission set it aside, hol…

The petitioners, daily‑wage workers employed under various rural employment schemes (Food for Work, National Rural Employment Programme, Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme and later Jawahar Rozgar Yojna) were engaged by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) as supervisors/work assistants. They sought …

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ under Article 32 filed by Common Cause seeking remedial measures for the serious deficiencies in India’s blood‑banking system. A 1990 consultancy report highlighted widespread unlicensed banks, reliance on professional donors, inadequate testing, poor equipment and h…

The Church of North India (CNI) sought a declaration that the earlier Brethren Church had ceased to exist, that CNI was its legal successor with rights over its properties, and a perpetual injunction restraining dissenting members from obstructing its functioning. The plaintiffs filed the suit in a civil court before C…

The case concerned a dispute over who should serve as Chief Mutawalli of Hamdard Laboratories (India) after the death of the previous Chief Mutawalli, Abdul Mueed. The appellant, Hammad Ahmed, claimed that the senior-most male descendant of the Wakif Mutawalli, as stipulated in the 1948 Deed as amended in 1973, was ent…

The respondent, Bir Bahadur Singh Rathour, was appointed as a Lower Division Clerk by Samarth Shiksha Samiti, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, and posted in one of its schools. He was later promoted to Upper Division Clerk, transferred to the Samiti’s central office, and subsequently suspended…

Canara Bank paid interest on fixed deposits to the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) without deducting tax at source under Section 194A of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The Assessing Officer treated the bank as a defaulter and issued a demand notice, which the bank appealed, relying on Notification dated 2…

The Friends Colony Development Committee (appellant) challenged unauthorized construction by Mis Modem Mechatech Housing Ltd. and its managing director, who built a five‑storey building exceeding the four‑storey plan sanctioned under the Orissa Development Authorities Act. The Development Authority ordered demolition o…