Service Thiiruppuholders.

(1) The provisions of this section shall apply to a Thiruppuholder entitled to Thiruppuvaram immediately before the appointed day on condition of rendering service to religious or charitable institution of a public nature established and maintained by a religious denomination or any section thereof (hereinafter referred to in this Act as the service-Thiruppuholder). (2) For so long as the service-Thiruppuhelder renders the service, the institution shall pay to the service-Thiruppuholder the annuity paid by the Government under section 4 in respect of that Thiruppuholder. (3) The prescribed officer, on a complaint made to him by the institution or any person interested that the service-Thiruppuholder has failed to render the service, may, after such inquiry and after such notice to the service-Thiruppuholder and the complainant as may be prescribed, by order, declare— (a) that the service-Thiruppuholder has failed to render the service and that the annuity payable to the institution or part thereof in respect of that Thiruppuholder for the period subsequent to the failure shall be the absolute property of the institution; or (b) that the service-Thiruppuholder has not failed to render the service. (4) Where a declaration has been made under clause (a) of sub-section (3), the institution shall be at liberty to make such arrangements as it thinks fit for the performance of the service. (5) Any person aggrieved by an order of the prescribed officer under sub-section (3) may, within thirty days from the date of the order, prefer an appeal to the District Collector, and the District Collector shall, after giving the institution, the service-Thiruppu holder and the appellant (where the institution or the service- Thiruppu holder is not the appellant) a reasonable opportunity of being heard and after making such further enquiry as may be prescribed pass such order on the appeal as he thinks fit. Explanation.— For the purposes of this section,— (i) service-Thiruppuholder includes his heirs; (ii) non-performance of the service due to illness or other temporary disability shall not be deemed to be failure to render service, provided the service-Thiruppuholder makes alternative arrangements for rendering the service during the period of such illness or of other temporary disability.