HC stay on Maha Charity Com's public trusts order to continue

The Bombay High Court today refused to vacate the stay granted by it earlier on an order of the Charity Commissioner asking as many as five lakh public charitable trusts in Maharashtra to contribute to "Public Trust Administration Fund" to meet expenses.
The petitioner argued that the Charity Commissioner sought to collect Rs 30 crore per annum from various charitable trusts towards the Administration Fund, despite having fixed deposits in banks to the tune of Rs 431 crore as on September 30, 2012.
In view of the high court refusing to vacate the stay, the charity commissioner withdrew its petition that sought to vacate the stay granted by the high court on September 25, 2009.

As the charity commissioner withdrew the petition, the stay granted by a division bench earlier restraining the charity commissioner to collect money from public trusts towards the Administration Fund, would continue.
The stay had been granted on a PIL filed by Devendra Shah, Trustee of Jain Shwetamber Trust and others through lawyer Prafulla Shah.
Today, a reply was filed by the petitioners saying that information from RTI had revealed that as enough funds were at the disposal of the Charity Commissioner to meet the expenses, there were no need to collect money for the "Public Trusts Administration Fund".

RTI information had revealed that the Charity Commissioner's office had fixed deposits of Rs 431 crore, lying in banks as on September 30, 2012, lawyer Prafulla Shah argued.

Citing RTI, he contended that total income to the office of Charity Commissioner from interest on fixed deposits was Rs 27.98 crore and that from other sources Rs 241 crore as on March 31, 2012.
The figures show that enough money was available with the Charity Commissioner's office to manage expenses and hence there was no need to maintain a separate Administration Fund which was sought to be created, the PIL contended.