The Religious Societies Act, 1880

This Act may be called the Religious Societies Act, 1880. Local extent--.It 1*** shall extend to the whole of India except 2[the territories which, immediatelybefore the 1st November, 1956, were comprised in Part B States,] but nothing herein contained shall apply to any Hindus, Muhammadans or Buddhists, or to anypersons whom the State Government may from time to time, by notification in the Official Gazette,exclude from the operation of this Act.

When any body of personsassociated for the purpose of maintaining religious worship has acquired, or hereafter shall acquire, anyproperty, and such property has been or hereafter shall be vested in trustees in trust for such body, and it becomes necessary to appoint a new trustee in the place of or in addition to any such trustee orany trustee appointed in the manner hereinafter prescribed, and no manner of appointing such new trustee is prescribed by any instrument by which suchproperty was so vested or by which the trusts on which it is held have been declared, or such new trusteecannot for any reason be appointed in the manner so prescribed, such new trustee may be appointed in such manner as may be agreed upon by such body, or by amajority of not less than two-thirds of the members of such body actually present at the meeting at whichthe appointment is made.

Every appointment of new trustees under section 2 shall be made to appearby some memorandum under the hand of the chairman for the time being of the meeting at which suchappointment is made. Such memorandum shall be in the form set forth in the Schedule hereto annexed, or as near thereto ascircumstances allow, shall be executed and attested by two or more credible witnesses in the presence ofsuch meeting, and shall be deemed to be a document of which the registration is required by the IndianRegistration Act, 18771(3 of 1877), section 17.

When any new trustees have beenappointed, whether in the manner prescribed by any such instrument as aforesaid or in the mannerhereinbefore provided, the property subject to the trust shall forthwith, notwithstanding anythingcontained in any such instrument, become vested, without any conveyance or other assurance, in suchnew trustees and the old continuing trustees jointly, or, if there are no old continuing trustees, in such newtrustees wholly, upon the same trusts, and with and subject to the same powers and provisions, as it wasvested in the old trustees.

Nothing herein contained shall bedeemed to invalidate any appointment of new trustees, or any conveyance of any property, which mayhereafter be made as heretofore was by law required.