Definitions

Definitions In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (1) "Additional Commissioner" means an Additional Commissioner appointed under section 9; (1-A) "Advisory Committee" means the Committee constituted by the Government under sub-section (1) of section 7. (2) Omitted by Section 2 of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Act, 1968 (Tamil Nadu Act 19 of 1968) (3) "Assistant Commissioner" means an Assistant Commissioner appointed under section 9; (4) "Board" means the Board constituted under section 10 of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1926 (Tamil Nadu Act II of 1927); (5) "Charitable endowments" means all property given or endowed for the benefit of, or used as of right by, the Hindu or the Jain community or any section thereof, for the support or maintenance of objects of utility to the said community or section, such as rest-houses, choultries, patasalas, schools and colleges, houses for feeding the poor and institutions for the advancement of education, medical relief and public health or other objects of a like nature; and includes the institution concerned; (6) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner appointed under section 9; (7) "Court" means— (i) in relation to a math or temple situated in the Presidency town, the Chennai City Civil Court (ii) in relation to a math or temple situated elsewhere, the Subordinate Judge’s Court having jurisdiction over the area in which the math or temple is situated, or if there is no such Court, the District Court having such jurisdiction; (iii) in relation to a specific endowment attached to a math or temple, the Court which could have jurisdiction as aforesaid in relation to the math or temple ; (iv) in relation to a specific endowment attached to two or more maths or temples, any Court which would have jurisdiction as aforesaid in relation to either or any of such maths or temples; (8) "Deputy Commissioner" means a Deputy Commissioner appointed under section 9; (8-A) "District Committee" means the Committee constituted by the Government under Section 7-A; (9) "Executive officer" means a person who is appointed to exercise such powers and discharge such duties appertaining to the administration of a religious institution as are assigned to him by or under this Act or the rules made thereunder or by any scheme settled or deemed to have been settled under this Act; (10) "Government" means the State Government; (11) "Hereditary trustee" means the trustee of a religious institution, the succession to whose office devolves by hereditary right or is regulated by usage or is specifically provided for by the founder, so long as such scheme of succession is in force; (12) "incorporated Devaswoms" means the Devaswoms mentioned in Schedule-1; (12-A) "Inspector" means an Inspector in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Administration Department; (12-B) "Joint Commissioner" means a Joint Commissioner appointed under section 9; (13) "math" means a Hindu religious institution with properties attached thereto and presided over by a person, the succession to whose office devolves in accordance with the direction of the Founder of the institution or is regulated by usage and – (i) whose duty it is to engage himself in imparting religious instruction or rendering spiritual service; or (ii) who exercises or claims to exercise spiritual headship over a body of disciples; and include places of religious worship or instruction which are appurtenant to the institution; Explanation.— Where the headquarters of a math are outside the State but the math has properties situated within the State, control shall be exercised over the math in accordance with the provisions of this Act, in so far as the properties of the math situated within the State are concerned; (14) "non-hereditary trustee" means a trustee who is not a hereditary trustee; (15) "person having interest" means— (a) in the case of a math, a disciple of the math or a person of the religious persuasion to which the math belongs; (b) 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;