(1)The Charity Commissioner, the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner or any Gazetted 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 belonging to a public trust at reasonable hours of the day;(b)to call for or inspect proceedings of the trustees of any public trust, and any books of account or document 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;(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 notice to the trustees and shall have due regard to the religious practices or usages of the trust(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 any person 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).(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, a 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 or the officer authorized under sub-section (1) shall submit report thereof to the Charity Commissioner who shall act in accordance with section 44.
