1[(1) The Charity Commissioner, the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner or any officer authorised by the State Government by a general or special order shall have power—
(a) to enter on and inspect or cause to be entered on and inspected any property belongingto a public trust;
2[(b)to call for and inspect any proceedings of the trustees of any public trust, and any book of accounts or documents in the possession or under the control of the trustees or any person connected with the trust;]
(c) to call for any return, statement, account or report which he may think fit from the trustees or any person connected with a public trust;
2[(d) to get the explanation of the trustee or any person connected with the public trust and reduce or cause to be reduced to writing any statement made by him:]
Provided that in entering upon any property belonging to the public trust the officers making the entry shall give reasonable notice to the trustee and shall have due regard to the religious practices or usages of the trust.
3[(2) It shall be the duty of every trustee to afford all reasonable facilities to any officer exercising any of the powers under sub-section (1) and the trustees or 4[any persons connected with the public trust] shall comply with any order made or direction issued by such officer in exercise of the power conferred upon him by or under sub-section (1)].
5[(3) If on inspection of the affairs of a public trust under this section, it is noticed by the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner or the officer authorised under sub-section (1) that there is a loss caused to the public trust on account of gross negligence, breach of trust, misapplication or misconduct on the part of a trustee or any person connected with the trust, the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner may submit a report thereof to the Charity Commissioner, and the officer so authorised, to the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner]
1 Section 37 was renumbered as sub-section (1) by Born. 6 of 1960,s. 21.
2 Clauses (b) substituted and (d) were inserted by Mah. 20 of 1971, s. 24(1)(a)&(b).
3 This sub-section was added by Born. 6 of 1960, s. 21.
4 These words were substituted for the words “any other person in charge of the public trust” by Mah, 20 of 1971, s. 24(2).
