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CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeals Nos. 2 to 12 of 1968.

Appeals by special leave from the judgments and orders dated June 25, 1965 and February 20, 1967 of the Gujarat High Court in Cr. Appeals Nos. 828 of 1965 etc. Urmila Kapoor and S. P. Nayar, for the appellants. V. K. Sanghi, for the respondents.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Hegde, J. These appeals arise from two complaints field by the Charity Commissioner, State of Gujarat under s. 35(1) read with s. 66 of the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 (which will hereinafter be referred to as the Act). In those complaints 10 accused were proceeded against. It was said that they were the trustees of two trusts known as "Shree Swaminarayan Mandir" and "Narayan Mandir". The 1st accused in both those complaints was the Acharya, the 10th was said to be the Mahant and the other accused the associated trustees at the relevant time. It was said that all these trustees were appointed under two different schemes framed by the High Court of Bombay. The trial court convicted the accused but in appeal the High Court of Gujarat acquitted all of them. It held that there is no proof to show that accused 2 to 10 were the trustees of the institutions at the time the alleged offence took place. It allowed the appeal of the 1st accused on the ground that the prosecution has failed to prove the required mens rea on his part. The State of Gujarat and the Charity Commissioner have brought these appeals after obtaining special leave from this Court.