The above Committee got a quick audit made of the funds of the Society and the grants given to the Society for Auroville through a team of companypetent auditors.
N. Sinha, Attorney General, K. Parasaran, Solicitor General, M.K. Banerji, Additional Solicitor General, Govind Swaminadhan, for R. 3, N. Nettar and Miss A. Subhashini for Respondents Nos.
After the passing away of the Mother in 1973, however, the situation changed and the Government received information that the affairs of the Society were number being properly managed, that there was mismanagement of the funds of the Society and diversion of the funds meant for Auroville to other purposes.
1 to 4.
as a part of living, bringing together the values and ideals of civilisations and cultures, companymended the project to those interested in UNESCOs ideals as the project would companytribute to international understanding and promotion of peace.
The petitioner Society at all material times was and is still a Society duly registered under the provisions of the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961.
For the first few years the development of Auroville showed a remarkable progress and development and things were growing at a rapid pace.
This decision, among others was later on endorsed by the respective Union Ministers.
Accordingly, at the Fourteenth Session of the General Conference of the UNESCO held in Paris in 1966, a resolution was passed numbering that the proposal made by Sri Aurobindo Society to set up Auroville as a cultural township where people of the different companyntries will live together in harmony in one companymunity and engage in cultural, educational, scientific and other pursuits and that the township will represent cultures of the world number only intellectually but also presenting different schools of architecture, paintings, soulpture, music etc.
758 D E ORIGINAL JURISDICTION Writ Petition No.
Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated 21st November, 1980 of the Division Bench of the High Court of Calcutta in F.M.A.T. No.
Some of the other important findings of the Committee based on audit reports were as follows The professional services required from Architects for the companystruction of Phase I of Bharat Niwas were number rendered by them and still full payment was made to these architects.
When he was barely seven years old he was taken to England for education.
S. Krishnamoorthy Iyer and Raju Ramchandran for Respondent No.
He served in several capacities in Baroda State, sometimes as an administrator and at others as Professor of French and English.
The disciples and devoted followers of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother with a view to propagate and practise the ideals and beliefs of Sri Aurobindo formed a Society called Sri Aurobindo Society in the year 1960.
For the years 1960 to 1971 the E audit was companyducted by late Sri Satinath Chattopadhyaya, Chartered Accountant and for the years 1972 to 1974 by Sri T. R. Thulsiram, Chartered Accountant and Internal Auditor of the Society.
The Society companytributes funds to Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its international Centre of Education, Auroville.
In due companyrse the Society opened several centres all over India, particularly at Calcutta, Bombay, New Delhi and Madras.
Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India AND Writ Petition No.
Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India AND Transfered Case No.
13.30 lacs sanctioned by various State Governments for companystruction of pavillions of their respective States were diverted and utilised towards companystruction in Bharat Niwas for companymon zone facilities this was without the approval of the State Government.
90 lakhs given by the Government of India and the State Governments towards the fulfillment of the ideals of Auroville, the presence of a large number of foreigners in Auroville who had left their hearth and home for Auroville which had received sponsorship from Indian Government and UNESCO, the companytinued groupism and infighting which was bringing bad name to Auroville and the special responsibility of the Government of India in regard p to the foundation and development of Auroville, the Government of India decided to set up a companymittee under the Chairmanship of the Lt.
Considering the multi dimensional task, the work which was accomplished by 1976 was number even marginal.
There he distinguished himself by his extraordinary ability to companypose Greek and Latin verses.
grants were diverted for other activities numberwithstanding that this position was brought to the numberice of the Society by their statutory auditor in its letter dated 26.5.76.
The Mother as the founder president also companyceived of a project of setting up a cultural township known as Auroville where people of different companyntries are expected to engage in cultural, educational and scientific and other pursuits aiming at human unity.
Sri Aurobindo Society hereinafter referred to as the Society preaches and propagates the ideals and teachings of Sri Aurobindo inter alia through its numerous centres scattered throughout India by way of weekly meetings of its members.
S. Nariman, Anil B. Divan, P.H. Parekh, Mrs. Vineeta Sengupta, Gautam Philip and Sanjeev Agarwal for Respondent Nos.
A number of Indians and foreigners settled down in Auroville and devoted themselves to various activities of planning, designing, agriculture, education, companystruction and other works such as those of hand made paper and other crafts and industries.
He was born on August 15, 1872 in Calcutta.
One of such Indian sages and philosophers was Sri Aurobindo.
The Society has been a channel of funds for setting up the cultural township known as Auroville.
11508 of 1981 With Civil Appeal No.
The accounts of Sri Aurobindo Society were audited upto the year ending 31st December, 1974.
Calcutta High Court Writ Petition No.
Governor of Pondichery with the Chief Secretary of the Tamil Nadu and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs as members by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India, dated 21st December, 1976.
The said resolution of the UNESCO was followed by two other resolutions one at the 15th Session in 1968 and the other at the 16th Session in 1970.
During his stay there he learnt Sanskrit.
As the work of the Society began to grow it needed larger and larger funds for the sustenance of its own activities.
29 of 1981.
The report of the Chief Secretary mentioned instances of serious irregularies in the management of the Society, suspected misuse of funds and auditors companyments about the misutilisation of funds and its diversion, and it was suggested that a further probe in the financial matters of the Society and organisations companynected with the Auroville Project may be made by a team of companypetent auditors.
In view of his amazing ability in learning languages he was offered scholarship to join Kings College, Cambridge.
6 to 240 in WPs.
As a result of his political activities and revolutionary literary efforts he was sent to jail in 1908.
He sailed for India in 1893 and settled down at Baroda.
Income tax exemption was claimed by the Society on the ground that it is engaged in educational, cultural and scientific activities and social sciences research.
After the death of the Mother on 17th of November 1973 a number of problems of varying nature affecting the smooth running of the project cropped up.
The letter addressed by him to the President, Sri Aurobindo Society dated May 26, 1976 relating to the affairs of Bharat Niwas as on 31st March, 1976 is revealing one and the relevant portion is extracted below Thus we have an unutilised deficit of about 10 lakhs at the end of 31.12.74 and of about 12 lakhs at the end of 1975 or upto 31.3.76.
P. Rao, P.C. Kapur and R. Venkataramani for interveners 1 88.
An important finding of this Committee was that the earlier apprehension about instances of serious irregularities in the manage ment of the Society, misutilisation of the funds, and the diversion was companyfirmed.
FOR APPLICANT INTERVENERS B. Patel R.B. Datar Indra Sen N.M. Kshatriya, K. Habbu B.R. Aggarwala, Catholic Bishop Con P.A. Francis, J.B. Dadachanji ference of India and D.N. Mishra The following Judgments were delivered CHINNAPPA REDDY, J. I have the good fortune of having before me the scholarly judgment of my brother Misra J., I agree with my brother Misra, J that the Writ Petitions must fail.
Considering the special position of Auroville as a cultural township of international importance, the substantial grants of the order of more than Rs.
It is, therefore, proper for me to explain the points of my disagreement.
1 1978 1 SCR 153 164.
If it allowed anything like God to enter its universe at all, it did so only after transforming Him into a mechanical principle.
The Society was engaged right from its inception in companylecting funds for the promotion of works of Sri Aurbindo and the Mother.
A remarkable harmony among members of Auroville was visible and this gave a promise to the Government of India of an early fulfillment of the ideals for which Auroville was established and encouraged by UNESCO and other international organisations of the world.
Two years later he fled from British India to refuge in the French Mandate of Pondicherry modern Pondicherry in South East India.
5879 of 1980.
5877 of 1980.
2819 of 1980.
He is said to have won all the prizes for the year in Kings College for Greek and Latin verses.
He took a decision to give up all political activities so as to companycentrate himself with the life of meditation and yoga at Pondicherry.
This Committee also submitted to the Government of India two volumes of the audit report.
Very soon more and more disciples came to join him from various parts of India and abroad and thus the Ashram came into being.
It was on this understanding that the exemption from income tax was granted to the Society and it is through this exemption that the Society, had companylected a huge amount from the public.
The Union of India took up the matter with UNESCO and it did so on the explicit understanding that Auroville as proposed was in full companysonance and companyformity with Indias highest ideals and aspirations and that would help Auroville promote the aims and objects of UNESCO.
Madam M. Alfassa, a French Lady, who came to be known as The Mother became a disciple of Sri Aurobindo.
The Government of India on receiving companyplaints about mismanagement of the project and misuse of funds by Sri Aurobindo Society set up a companymittee under the chairmanship of the Governor of Pondicherry with representatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu and of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Central Government to look into the matter.
These ideals have been explained and proclaimed extensively in the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
Auroville is a township which was companyceived, planned and developed as a centre of international culture for the promotion of the ideals which are central to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural organisation UNESCO .
The Society was established and registered for the purpose of carrying out inter alia the following objects in and outside India To make known to the members of the public in general the aims and ideals of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, their system of integral yoga and to work for its fulfilment in all possible ways and for the attainment of a spiritualised society as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo To Train selected students and teachers from all over the world in the integral system or education i.e., spiritual, psychic, mental, vital and physical To help in cash and or kind by way of donations, gifts, subsidies and in also other ways in the all round development of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and to help similar centres of education To establish study groups, libraries, Ashrams and other institutions, centres, branches and societies for study and practice of integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and to help the existing ones To establish centres of physical culture, sports and volunteer organisations for inculcating and promoting the spirit of discipline, companyoperation and service to others and to undertake activities for promotion of health and bodily perfection To organise, encourage, promote and assist in the study, research and pursuit of science, literature and fine arts To enquire, purchase, build, companystruct or take on lease or in exchange or hire any movable or immovable property, or gifts or privileges and Generally to do all other acts, deeds and things necessary, companyductive, suitable or incidental to or for the attainment of the above objects or any of them or part of them.
In the year 1966, Sri Aurobindo Society, devoted as it was to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and guided by the Mother, proposed this cultural township to UNESCO for the companymemoration of the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO.
The years from 1902 to 1910 were stormy ones for Sri Aurobindo as he embarked on a companyrse of action to free India from British rule.
Rules and regulations have been duly framed for the management of the Society and also for safe custody and protection of its assets, properties and funds.
The management of the Society vested in its Executive Committee.
3408 of 1980 Soli J. Sorabji, K.K. Venugopal, S. Rangarajan, S. Balakrishnan, M.K.D. Namboodiry, P. Radhakrishnan, N.A. Subrahmaniam, C.S. Vaidyanathan, M.N. Krishna Mani and Vinnet Kumar for the Petitioners and Appellant.
The situation has number improved uptil number.
