UPPER GANGES SUGAR MILLS LTD. ETC.versusCOMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX, CALCUTTA

            UPPER GANGES SUGAR MILLS LTD. ETC.                                 A
                                     v.
         COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX, CALCUTTA

                            AUGUST 4, 1997

              [S.P .. BHARUCHA AND V.N. KHARE, JJ.]                            B

       Income Tax Act1 1961 ·' Section BOG-Charitable Trost-Donation by
assessee-Deduction claimed-c-Allowed by Income Tax Officer-Assessment
reopened-'-Clai/11 disallowed-'-'-Appeal allowed by Tribunaf--On reference
High Court reversed the order of Tribunal holding that the Trust was of a      C
reiigio~s nai.ur~~zd, if ~n~ of the objects of the institution is wholly or
substalllially of a religi~us~ai.ure the donation falls outside the scope of
s.BOG-Assessee not entitled to claim deduction.

     Words & Phrases-"Chalitable purpose''---Meaning of in the context of
S.BOG of Income Tax Act.                                                  D

      The appellant-assessee had made a donation to the Vishwa Mangal
Trust. His claim for deduction under section SOG was allowed by the In-
come Tax Officer. The assessment was then reopened under section 147(b)
of the Income Tax Act and the claim of the assessee was disallowed.
Assessee's appeal before the Appellate Assistant Commissioner was dis-         E
missed; appeal before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal was allowed. On
reference, High Court reversed the view of the Tribunal. Hence the present
appeal.

      Dismissing the appeal, this Court
                                                                               F
       HELD : 1.1. Section SOG of Income Tax Act, 1961 applies to donations
to any institution ot fund established in India for a charitable purpose.
"Charitable purpose" for the purpose of the Section, does not include any
purpose the whole or substantially the whole of which is of a religious
nature. Explanation 3 takes note of the fact that an institution or fund G
established for a charitable purpose may have a number of objects. If any
of these objects is wholly or substantially of a religious nature, the institu-
tion or fund falls outside the scope of section SOG and a donation to it does
not secure the advantage of the deduction that it gives. [243-C-D]

      1.2. Explanation 3 does not require the ascertainment of whether the     H
                                    239
     240                    SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1997] SUPP. 3 S.C.R.

A whole or substantially the whole of the institution or fund's charitable
     purpose is of a religious nature. It requires the ascertainment of whether
     there is one purpose within the institution or fund's overall charitable
     purpose which is wholly, or substantially wholly, of a religious nature.
                                                                        [243-G-H)
B          1.3. Clause 2(h) of the Trust Deed which permits the trustees to
     supportprayer halls and places of worship sets out a purpose the whole or
     substantially the whole of which is of a religious nature. Therefore, the
     Trust and the donation by the assessee to it fall outside the scope of Section
     80G. [243-H; 244:A-B]

C          Additional Commissioner of Income-Tax, Gujarat v. Surat A1t Silk
     Cloth Manufactures Association, 121 I.T.R. 1, held inapplicable.

             CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No.3104 of
     1985.

D         From the Judgment and Order dated 13.12.84 of the Calcutta High
     Court in l.T.R. No. 291 of 1980.

                                          WITH

             Civil Appeal No. 10736/95.
E          H.N. Salve, Shri Narain, K.V. Vishwanadhan, D. Singh and Suman J.
     Khaitan for the Appellants.

             Ranbir Chandra and B.K. Prasad for the Respondent.

             The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
F
          S.P. BHARUCHA, J. A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court
     answered the following question in the negative and in favour of the
     Revenue:

               "Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the
G              Appellate Tribunal was justified in holding that the assessee was
               entitled to the relief under section 80G on the donations paid to
               Vishwa Mangal Trust?"

             The assessee is in appeal by certificate.

 H           We are concerned in the first appeal with the Assessment Year
      UPPER GANGES SUGAR MILLS LTD. v. C.l.T. [ S.P. BHARUCHA, J.]    241

1973-74, the relevant previous year having ended on 30th June, 1972. The     A
assessee had made a donation of Rs. 25,000 to the Vishwa Mangal Trust
(hereinafter called 'the Trust'). Th~ assessee claimed a deduction under
Section SOG in respect of that donation. The .claim was allowed by the
Income Tax Officer on 27th December, 1976. The assessment was then
re-opened under Section 147(b) of the Income Tax Act and on 30th
December, 1977 the Income Tax Officer disallowed the claim. The Appel-       B
!ant Assistant Commissioner dismissed the assessee's appeal. The Income
Tax Appellate Tribunal allowed the appeal preferred by the assessee
against the order of tlie Appellate Assistant Commissioner. Thereafter it
referred the question set out above to the High Court. The High Court
reversed the view of the Tribunal.
                                                                             c
     Much the same thing happened in a subsequent year and the High
Court followed its said judgment.

        Section BOG sets out the deductions to be made, in accordance with
and subject to its provisions, in computing the total income of an assessee D
in respect of donations to certain funds, charitable institutions, etc. It
applies, by reason of sub-section (5) thereof, to any other fund or any
institution to which the section applies (sub-section (2)(a)(iv)) if it is
established in India "for a charitable purpose" and fulfils the condition,
Inter alia, that it "is not expressed to be for the benefit of any particular
religious community or caste". Explanation 3 states, "In this Section, E
'charitable purpose' does not include any purpose the whole or substan-
tially the _whole of which is of a religous nature".

     The objects of the Trust are set out in clause (2) of the trust deed.
They are:
                                                                             F
        "2(a) To establish, support and maintain schools, colleges, libraries,
        reading rooms, Lecture Halls, Public Museums and to grant aids
        to, support and maintain persons and institutions for the promotion
        of science or literature or Fine Arts or diffusion of useful
        knowledge or galleries of paintings and other knowledge or gal- G
        leries of paintings and other works ofart or collection of natural
        history, economic and scientif'ic inventions and designs.

        (b) To establish and maintain or grant aid to Hospitals, Medical
        Schools or Colleges, Nursing Institutions and such other institu-
        tions.                                                            H
    242                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1997) SUPP. 3 S.C.R.

A           (c) .To grant relief on the occasion of earthquakes and floods and
           •:otJ:ier ·oc~asions of calamities of similar nature or to give donations
            to other institutions or persons doing such relief works .

            .(d) To establish and maintain studentships, give prizes and to grant
B
             aid topoor students.

           . (~) to establish Boarding Houses and Hostels for student.
            '(Q To proriiote physical culture and education and to assist and
          · Promote.sports and .games and generally to do all acts for the
           • improvement of general health and physical development.

            '(g) To establis.h and maintain and to grant aid to centres for
             diffusion of Indian Art and Culture.

           · (g). To establish, maintain and to grant and/or aid to public places
D            of worship and prayer halls.

            (i) To establish, support and maintain and/or to grant aid to alms
            houses and/or to give relief to the poor and needy persons.

E           G) To establish, support and maintain and/or to grant aid to
            institutions for uplift of backward and depressed classes irrespec-
            tive of caste, creed or nationality."
                                   •                         (Emphasis supplied)

F         Clause (3) of the Trust deed reads thus :

            "The
              <'.
                  Trustees shall from time to time collect funds which and/or
            the income thereof will be utilised for the objects aforesaid. All
            investments and properties of the Trust for the time being held by
            the Trustees is hereinafter referred to as the Trust Fund."
G
          The High Court did nor accept the assessee's argument that the
    establishment or maintenance of prayer-halls was not a religious object.
    The High Court also did not accept the assessee's argument that the object
    of clause 2(h) of the trust deed should not be considered to be a religious
H   object because the trustees were not empowered to set up places of
      . UPPER GANGES SUGAR MILLS LID. v. C.l.T. [ S.P. BHARUCHA, J.)      243

  worship and prayer halls of a particular community or religion; it took the A
                                 up
  view th~t even if a trust was set    for the advancement of all the religions
  in the world, it would be a trust of a religious nature. The High Court
 rejected the assessee's argument that the Trust was not set up wholly or
  substantially for a religious purpose; one of the purposes, it said, was "to
  establish, maintain and grant aid• to public places of worship and pray~r B
 .halls"; which was an entirely religious purpose.

         Section SOG applies   to      donations to any institution or fund
   established in India "for a charitable purpose". "Charitable purpose, for the
   pll~poses of the section, does not include . any purpose the whole or ·
   substantially the .whole of which is of a religious nature". (Emphasis C
   sllpplied.)Explanation 3, which uses this phraseology, takes not of the fact
 · that an institution or fund established for a charitable purpose may have ·a
   number of objects. If any one of these objects is wholly, or substantially
.. wholly, of. a religious character, the institution or fund falls outside the
   scope of Section SOG and a donation to it does not secure the advantage D
   of the deduction that it gives.

        The judgment of this Court in Additional Commissioner of Income-
 Tax, Gujarat v. Surat Art Silk Cloth Manufacturers Association, 121 I.T.R.
 1, cited by learned counsel for the ass.essee, was delivered with reference    E
 to the true meaning of the words "not involving the carrying on of any
 activity for profit" occurring at the end of the definition of "charitable
                                      •
 purposes" in Section 2(15) of the Income Tax Act. This Court said that if
 the primary or dominant purpose of the Trust was charitable, another
 object which by itself may not be charitable but which was merely ancillary    F
 or incidental to the primary or dominant purpose would not prevent the
 trust. or. the institution from being a valid. charity. The judgment is of
 assistance in construing Explanation 3 of Section SOG.

        To reiterate, Explanation 3 does not require the ascertainment of
 whether the whole or substantially the whole of the institution or fund's . G
 charitable purpose is of a religious nature. If it did it would read differently.
 It requires the ascertainment of whether there is one purpose within the
 institution or fund's over-all charitable purpose .which is wholly, or·
 substantially wholly, of a religious nature. There is little doubt that clause
 2(h) of the Trust Deed which permits the trustees to support prayer halls H
    244                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1997] SUPP. 3 S.C.R.

A and places of worship sets out a purpose the whole or substantially the
    whole of which is of a religious nature, and this has not been seriously
    disputed. Therefore, in our view, the Trust and the don;i.tion by the assessee
    to it fall outside the scope of Section SOG.

          The appeals are dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs.
B
    S.V.K.I.                                                  Appeals dismissed.




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