RAVAL MANHARBHAI KALIDAS V/s. BHASKARBHAI CHANDUBHAI PATEL MARCH 21, 2017

                                       NON-REPORTABLE

                        IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
                        CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION


                     CIVIL APPEAL NOS.4355-4356 OF 2017
             [@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) NOS.28982-28983/2016]


      RAVAL MANHARBHAI KALIDAS AND ORS.                 APPELLANT(S)


                                VERSUS


      BHASKARBHAI CHANDUBHAI PATEL AND ORS.       RESPONDENT(S)


                                    WITH
                     CIVIL APPEAL NOS.4357-4358 OF 2017
             [@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) NOS.31219-31220/2016]

                               J U D G M E N T

KURIAN, J.

      Leave granted.
2.    The main objection taken by the appellants  is  that  while  the  High
Court modified the Scheme, the affected parties were  not  heard;  only  the
counsel who appeared for some of the parties in the High Court  were  heard.
In that view of the matter, on 21.02.2017, this Court passed  the  following
order:-

“Having heard Mr. V. Giri, learned senior counsel, we  find  that  a  public
notice under Order I Rule 8 CPC should have been issued  in  case  the  High
Court  wanted  to  modify  the  scheme,  as  framed  by  the  Joint  Charity
Commissioner.  It is the submission of Mr. V. Giri, learned senior  counsel,
which is vehemently refuted  by  Mr.  Guru  Krishna  Kumar,  learned  senior
counsel, that the orders on modification of the scheme  have  actually  been
passed on consent of the parties, who appeared before the High Court.
Be that as it may, having regard to the major changes effected by  the  High
Court in the scheme formulated by Joint Charity Commissioner, we are of  the
view that a public notice should have been issued.
However, we do not propose to send the matter back to the  High  Court.   We
direct the petitioners to issue a public notice, at  their  expense,  within
three days from today, giving time of 10 days to the villagers  to  respond.

Let the notice  be  published  in  two  Gujarati  newspapers  viz.  'Gujarat
Samachar' and 'Sandesh', which  have  wide  circulation  in  Vasad  village,
District Anand, Gujarat.
It shall be made clear in the public notice that whoever  wants  to  respond
to the notice shall have  to  respond  within  10  days  from  the  date  of
publication of notice.
Post the matters on 21.03.2017 for further orders, as first item  for  final
disposal.”

3.    Pursuant to the order and publication, none has appeared  before  this
Court raising any objection.  We are  informed  that  some  objections  have
been filed  before  the  Charity  Commissioner  but  nobody  has  filed  any
objections before this Court, where the matter is pending.
4.    Even otherwise also,  we  are  not  inclined  to  interfere  with  the
judgment and order passed by the High Court. All those objections have  been
considered by the High Court and only in the better interests of the  Trust,
the modifications have been  effected.  The  appeals  are  hence  dismissed.
Interim stay granted by this Court, on 26.09.2016, is vacated.
5.    In view of the pendency of these matters before this  Court,  in  case
any of the villagers intend to enroll themselves, they may do so as per  the
judgment of the High Court on or before 10.04.2017 and  the  elections  will
be held within four weeks thereafter, in terms of the judgment of  the  High
Court.  Needless also to say that the interim arrangement made by  the  High
Court will continue till the election process is completed.
6.    Pending applications, if any, shall stand disposed of.
7.    There shall be no orders as to costs.

                                                   .......................J.
                                                             [KURIAN JOSEPH]


                                                   .......................J.
                                                              [R. BANUMATHI]
      NEW DELHI;
      MARCH 21, 2017.