Operation Asha vs Shelly Batra on 5 August, 2025
“10. A suit under Section 92 is a suit of a special nature which
presupposes the existence of a public Trust of a religious or
charitable character. Such a suit can proceed only on the
allegation that there was a breach of such trust or that the
direction of the court is necessary for the administration of the
trust and the plaintiff must pray for one or more of the reliefs that
are mentioned in the section. It is, therefore, clear that if the
allegation of breach of trust is not substantiated or that the
plaintiff had not made out a case for any direction by the court for
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proper administration of the trust, the very foundation of a suit
under the section would fail; and, even if all the other ingredients
of a suit under Section 92 are made out, if it is clear that the
plaintiffs are not suing to vindicate the right of the public but are
seeking a declaration of their individual or personal rights or the
individual or personal rights of any other person or persons in
whom they are interested, then the suit would be outside the scope
of Section 92 (see N. Shanmukham Chetty v. V.M. Govinda
Chetty [AIR 1938 Mad 92 : 176 IC 26 : 1937 MWN 849]
, Tirumalai Devasthanams v. Udiavar Krishnayya
Shanbhaga [AIR 1943 Mad 466 : (1943) 56 LW 260] , Sugra
Bibi v. Hazi Kummu Mia [AIR 1969 SC 884 : (1969) 3 SCR 83 :
(1969) 2 SCJ 365] and Mulla: Civil Procedure Code (13th edn.)
Vol. 1, p. 400). A suit whose primary object or purpose is to
remedy the infringement of an individual right or to vindicate a
private right does not fall under the section. It is not every suit
claiming the reliefs specified in the section that can be brought
under the section but only the suits which, besides claiming any of
the reliefs, are brought by individuals as representatives of the
public for vindication of public rights, and in deciding whether a
suit falls within Section 92 the court must go beyond the reliefs and
have regard to the capacity in which the plaintiffs are suing and
to the purpose for which the suit was brought. This is the reason
why trustees of public trust of a religious nature are precluded
from suing under the section to vindicate their individual or
personal rights. It is quite immaterial whether the trustees pray for
declaration of their personal rights or deny the personal rights of
one or more defendants. When the right to the office of a trustee is
asserted or denied and relief asked for on that basis, the suit falls
outside Section 92.