Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
In Part II of this Act unless there is anything repugnant, in the subject or context-- (1) "Board" shall mean the Cochin Devaswom Board constituted under Chapter VIII of this Act in accordance with the Covenant; (2) "Court" shall mean the District Court within the local limits of which the principal temple, shrine, samooham or samooha madhom or sabha madhom, sannyasi madhom, yogam or brahmaswom madhom of the institution is situate; Explanation.-- Where an institution has not a temple, shrine, samooham or samooha madhom or sabha madhom attached to it, the Court in relation to such an institution shall mean any one of the District Courts within whose jurisdiction the institution is functioning; (3) "founder" shall include his legal representatives; (4) "hereditary trustee" shall mean the trustee of an institution, succession to whose office devolves by hereditary right or is regulated by usage or is specifically provided for by the founders so long as such mode of succession is in force; [[Provided that a Hindu member nominated or elected to the Board under the section shall make an oath before the Principal Secretary to the Government of Kerala, Department of Devaswom to the effect that he is professing Hindu religious rites and is a believer of God and temple worship, before he enters upon his office.] Provided that a Hindu member to be nominated or elected to the Board under Section 63 shall be a person who believes in God and temple worship and who shall make an oath before the Secretary of the Board to that effect in the form prescribed by the Government for the purpose before he enters upon his office.] (5) "incorporated and unincorporated Devaswoms" shall mean the incorporated and unincorporated Devaswoms specified in Schedules I and II respectively of the Cochin Devaswom Verumpattom Settlement Proclamation, XXIII of 1118; (6) "institution" shall mean a Hindu Religious Institution other than an incorporated or unincorporated Devaswom by whatever designation known, dedicated to or for the benefit of or used as of right by the Hindu community or any section thereof and shall include-- (a) Every Hindu temple or shrine so dedicated or used as of right by the Hindu community or any section thereof as a place of religious worship and all property belonging to or given or endowed for the benefit or support of such temple or shrine or for the purpose of any service or charity; and (b) Samooham or samooha madhom (of the Paradesa Brahmins) or sabha madhom, sanyasi madhom, yogam or brahmaswom madhom (of the Nambudiri Brahmins) or any other endowment or foundation of a Hindu religious nature or both combined, by whatever designation known and all property belonging thereto whether applied wholly to religious purposes or partly to religious and partly to charitable or other purposes and any express or constructive trust of a Hindu Religious nature by which property is vested in the hands of any person; (7) "person interested" includes-- (i) in the case of a temple, a person who is entitled to attend at or is in the habit of attending the performance of worship or service in the temple or who is entitled to partake or is in the habit of partaking in the benefit of the distribution of gifts thereat; (ii) in the case of a specific endowment or institution a person who is entitled to attend at or is in the habit of attending the performance of the service or charity, or who is entitled to partake or is in the habit of partaking in the benefit of the charity; (8) "prescribed" shall mean prescribed by rules made under Part II of this Act; (9) "trustee" shall mean a person by whatever designation known in whom the administration of an institution is vested or having control over any institution or holding any property in trust therefor and includes any person who is liable as if he were a trustee. Inserted by Act 3 of 1991 (w.e.f. 20/10/1990). Substituted by ACT 5 OF 2007 Published in K.G.Ext. No. 694 dt. 12/04/2007 (w.e.f. 05/02/2007). Prior to the Substitution it read as "(4A) "Hindu" means a person who is a Hindu by birth or by conversion and professes the Hindu religion:"