Plea in Supreme Court to bar convicts’ entry in trusts

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has been moved for a direction to the Centre and states to debar convicted persons from being appointed as Trustees of a Public Trust and to disqualify existing trustees, if they were found convicted for any offence involving moral turpitude.

Senior counsel K. Subramanian, appearing for petitioner, Dr. P.R. Subhas Chandran, social activist of Hyderabad, submitted before a Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud that at present there is no Central law governing public trusts, although some States have `Public Trust Act'.

Quoting the present situation in United Kingdom, counsel said the Charities Act of 1993 provides for automatic disqualification of a person from being a trustee of Public Trust. He said disqualification of a Trustee convicted in a case would be desirable to protect public trust and inspire people's confidence.

The Bench after hearing the counsel in a brief order directed the petitioner to submit a representation in this regard to the Chief Secretaries States concerned where there is no law that the trustee of a public trust shall not be a convicted person. The order said that the Chief Secretaries on receipt of such representation within eight weeks in proper perspective.