Specimen format of a Trust Deed
TRUST DEED
THIS INDENTURE OF TRUST executed on this -------------- day of ------- 20----
BY ………………………………, son / daughter / wife of ---------------, aged ----, residing
at ---------------------------------------- (hereinafter referred to as the SETTLOR which term
wherever the context so requires or admits shall mean and include his legal heirs,
successors, executors, administrators and assigns of ONE PART
IN FAVOR OF
1. -------------- son/daughter of ----- , aged --, residing at -----------------------------------------
--------
2. ---------------- son/daughter of -----, aged --, residing at ---------------------------------------
--------
3. ---------------- son/daughter of -----, aged --, residing at ----------------------------------------
--------
4. ---------------- son /daughter of ----- , aged --, residing at ---------------------------------------
---------
5. ---------------- son/daughter of -----, aged --, residing at ----------------------------------------
--------
(hereinafter referred to as ‘THE TRUSTEES’ which expression wherever the context so
requires or admits shall mean and include their legal heirs, successors, executors,
administrators and assigns of the SECOND PART.
WHEREAS THE SETTLOR above named has been desirous of creating and
establishing a spiritual, educational and a charitable Trust.
AND WHEREAS THE SETTLOR above named has settled a sum of Rs.-------- (Rupees
------------------------------------ only) as a fund,
AND WHEREAS THE SETTLOR above named has settled the assets and properties
mentioned in the Schedule hereunder,
in favour of the TRUSTEES upon Trust with a view to give effect to his desire of
creating and establishing a Trust for the purpose of undertaking charitable and
religious activities for the benefit the public, for the objects set out in this trust deed and
for fulfillment of which, the terms and conditions are more particularly set out
hereunder.
AND WHEREAS THE TRUSTEES named are willing to accept the office of the
Trustees for the purpose of carrying out the wishes of the SETTLOR of the Trust under
the provisions and directions set forth herein, so as to enable to pursue its vowed
objects.
THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH AS FOLLOWS
1) The SETTLOR above named hereby establishes a Public Charitable Trust by the
name of ----------------------------------- for the purpose and upon the conditions set
forth hereunder.
2) The TRUSTEES named above shall be the first trustees and have given their
consent to be appointed as the trustees and as token thereof, they have set their
hands to this instrument.
3) The SETTLOR hereby conveys, transfers and assigns to the TRUSTEES the
above referred sum of Rs. ---- (Rupees -------------------- only) as corpus to the
TRUST, the receipt of which, the TRUSTEES do hereby admit and
acknowledge.
4) The SETTLOR of the Trust hereby conveys, transfers, assigns to the TRUSTEES
the assets and properties mentioned in the Schedule hereunder, the possession of
which the Trustees hereby admit and acknowledge, to have and to hold the same
in trust as corpus of the Trust, to be used by the Trustees to carry out and fulfill
the objects of the Trust set forth herein, and the SETTLOR of the Trust hereby
relinquishes for all time any claim to or interest in the said assets and properties
or fund forming the subject matter of the Trust.
5) The office of the Trust for the time being shall be at -----------------------------------,
with the power given to the Trustees to shift the same to any other place as they
may mutually agree upon.
6) The TRUSTEES do hereby agree that they shall hold and stand possessed of the
said trust assets, properties and funds (which expression shall include all
investments in cash or kind or in any nature whatsoever into and for which, the
said property or a part or parts thereof may from time to time be converted,
varied or exchanged) and/ or such investments as may be held by the
TRUSTEES from time to time in relation to these presents together with all
income, profits, additions and accretions thereof, upon trust for the object set out
herein with and subject to the provisions and conditions hereinafter contained in
these presents.
I. OBJECTS:
The objects of the Trust are:
1. Construction and running of Schools, colleges, education institutions, free
dispensaries, Centres for poor feeding and homes for the aged for the benefit of the
public.
2. Providing for grants, scholarships, fellowships and other forms of financial
assistance to the needy and deserving students for pursuing education, vocational
training, skill development etc.
3. Granting of financial assistance to any educational institution for granting
scholarships, prizes, medals, awards for excellence in studies, sports and scientific
research, distribution of books and note books for poor and deserving students.
4. Establishment, conduct, maintenance of clinical laboratories, hospitals, nursing
homes, dispensaries and institutions of similar nature and providing financial
assistance to the deserving persons for medical treatment, in any medical institution.
5. Providing financial assistance for feeding the poor directly and through other
institutions.
6. Establishment, conduct, maintenance of old age homes, homes for physically
challenged men, women and children and persons with similar disabilities and also
for granting financial assistance to institutions performing similar activities.
7. Grant of donation to any Temple, Mosque, Church, Gurudwara and other places of
worship and / or religious institutions. However, the Trust shall not undertake any
religious activities.
8. Providing for or contributing to education and scientific research and development.
9. Providing relief to the poor and advancing any other object of general public utility.
10. The Trust will not carry out any activities with the intention of earning profit and
will perform with service motive only.
11. No activities of the Trust will be carried out outside India.
II. BENEFICIARIES OF THE TRUST:
The Trust is established for the benefit of citizens of India and the class of people
mentioned above without discrimination of caste, religion, creed or sex.
III. PROPERTIES:
The Trust properties shall consist of
1. The amount Transferred by the SETTLOR as mentioned above, towards the Corpus
fund of the Trust.
2. The immovable properties and other assets transferred by SETTLOR as mentioned
above.
3. Any cash, kind, properties, movable and immovable that may be acquired by
purchase or otherwise or all manner of rights, title or interest in or over any
property movable or immovable.
4. All additions and accretions to the Trust properties and the income there from.
5. All donations, gifts, legacies or grants, in cash or kind accepted by the Trustees upon
Trust.
The properties of the Trust shall be utilized for the objects set forth herein above and
subject to the provisions and conditions herein mentioned.
IV. NUMBER OF TRUSTEES, THEIR TERM AND POWER TO CO-OPT:
The Trust will be managed by a Board of Trustees consisting of not less than 3 trustees
and not more than 9 trustees. The parties of the Second Part will be First Trustees and
they shall automatically form the Board of Trustees
The first Managing Trustee shall be the SETTLOR and he will hold office for his life
time. After the demise or relinquishment of office of the Managing Trustee or in the
event of the first Managing Trustee failing to nominate his successor in office, the
remaining trustees shall elect one of the other Trustees as Managing Trustee.
The term of office of First Trustees shall be for their respective lives. The Board of
Trustees shall have the power to increase the total number of Trustees upto the
maximum number stated above and fix their term as per provisions contained herein.
Any Trustee, including the Managing Trustee may retire from the Trusteeship hereof by
giving two calendar months notice in writing of his or her intention to do so, to the
Board of Trustees and after the expiry of the period of notice, the Trustee giving the
notice shall ipso facto cease to be a Trustee of these presents.
Any vacancy caused by death of any one of the First Trustees, or any vacancy caused
by the resignation of any of the Trustees, may be filled up by co-option by the Board of
Trustees.
The Trustees who are not First Managing Trustee or First Trustees shall hold office for a
period of one year from their date of appointment by the Trustees. At the end of this
one year period, the Board of Trustees may reappoint them for subsequent term or
appoint other persons as Trustees in such a manner that the total number of Trustees
does not exceed the approved maximum number of Trustees.
The Managing Trustee shall have the power to remove a Trustee suffering from
physical or mental disability or if he is accused of misfeasance of trust funds or property
or misconduct, after satisfying himself on enquiry and such action of the Managing
Trustee shall be final.
The proceedings of the Board of Trustees shall not in any way be invalidated due to any
post or posts remaining vacant. During the time when a vacancy is yet to be filled up,
the remaining Trustees shall act as “Full Board”, subject to the presence of Quorum in
the meetings. Any vacancy in the Board of Trustees or illegality in the appointment of
Trustees or their proceedings shall not invalidate any prior act or decision of the Board.
V. TRUST ADMINISTRATION AND POWER TO THE BOARD:
A. The Board of Trustees shall have power to:
1. To administer the Trust, its properties and affairs and do all the things which will
fulfill the performance of the objects for which the Trust is established and for this
purpose the Board can apply the whole or any part of the Trust property towards
the payment of the expenses of the Trust.
2. The income and the properties of the Trust will be solely utilized towards the
objects of the Trust and no portion of it will be utilized for payment to the Settler, or
Trustees or their relatives by way of salary, allowances, profit, interest, dividend etc.
3. To open one or more bank accounts and operate the same or provide for operation
of the said accounts by any two among them authorized on their behalf.
4. To invest the Trust funds in the manner not prohibited by any provisions of the
Income Tax Act, 1961.
5. To buy, sell, mortgage, grant, lease, hire or otherwise alienate all or any of the
properties of the Trust in its discretion for adequate consideration, so however any
sale or alienation of immovable properties of the trust can be done only after
obtaining the prior approval of the Commissioner of Income Tax.
6. To execute power of attorney or powers of attorney to any person for the purpose of
executing, administering or managing the whole or any part of the Trust for the
purpose of all or some among the objects of the Trust.
7. To borrow money with or without security and to repay the same.
8. To receive, collect and enforce recovery of all monies due or payable to the Trust
and grant receipts and discharges therefore.
9. To settle, compromise or compound any disputes or refer the same to arbitration or
litigation.
10. To receive voluntary contributions from any person or persons from India or
outside, after complying with the statutory formalities, by way of donation, gifts or
in any other manner and to hold the same upon Trust for the objects set forth herein.
11. To appoint, suspend, dismiss or otherwise deal with the staff required for the
administration of the Trust, to frame rules relating to their salaries and other benefits
and generally to exercise all powers ancillary and incidental to effectively carry out
the objects of the Trust.
12. The Board shall have power to make and rescind rules and regulations for the
management and administration of the Trust.
13. No Trustee shall commit any act or breach of Trust of the Trust fund or property or
cause any loss to the Trust property or commit fraud in the administration of the
Trust fund / property.
14. The Trustees shall hold honorary office and shall not be entitled to any Salary,
allowances or perquisites, except for the reimbursement of actual expenses incurred
in connection with attending to the Trust matters.
15. The Board of Trustees will follow the instructions given by any donor who makes
substantial contribution towards furtherance of the objects of the Trust, so long as
such instructions are not detrimental to the attainment of the objects of the Trust and
are in conformity with the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
16. For the management and administration of the Trust, the Trustees shall elect one
amongst themselves for each of the offices of Vice President, Secretary and
Treasurer. The term of office for Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be for
a period of one year from their date of appointment and they may be reelected for
further terms. No Trustee including the Managing Trustee shall hold more than one
of the above offices at the same time. The persons holding these offices of Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be under the administrative guidance and
supervision of the Managing Trustee and will report to him directly.
B. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS
The Roles, Responsibilities and powers of all these officers is defined below. In addition
to these, the Managing Trustee may grant additional roles, responsibilities and powers
to any of the Trustees.
a) MANAGING TRUSTEE:
In addition to discharging normal duties of a trustee, the Managing Trustee shall
preside over meeting of the Board of Trustees. The Managing Trustee is authorized to
sign all documents, including bank documents, acknowledgements for the
contributions received, and agreements with individuals, Government Institutions and
other organizations, on behalf of the Board of Trustees. The Managing Trustee shall
have all the residuary powers, not explicitly assigned to any of the other officers in
these presents.
The Managing Trustee is authorized to sign along with the Treasurer bank cheques,
deposit release vouchers etc. The Managing Trustee is empowered to remove any
Trustee from the Trust and its offices, if he/she finds that his/her activities are not
congenial to the activities of the Trust.
The Managing Trustee is responsible for ensuring that the Trust pursues its Objects and
for maintaining the dignity of the Trust organization and shall use his/her influence to
promote the activities of the Trust.
b) VICE PRESIDENT:
The Vice President shall discharge the duties of the Managing Trustee, in the absence of
the Managing Trustee of the Trust and shall have the power and authority delegated
and assigned to him/her by the Managing Trustee.
c) SECRETARY:
The Secretary shall maintain the records of the organization prepare and circulate
agenda and minutes of Board of Trustee meeting for the approval of the Managing
Trustee.
The Secretary shall be also responsible for the day to day administration activities of the
Trust. The Secretary shall deal with correspondence received by the Trust, send replies
in consultation with the Managing Trustee, Vice President and/or the Treasurer where
necessary. He/she is responsible for the safe custody of all the properties and records
of the Trust. The Secretary shall represent the Trust in all legal matters, sign the papers
related to legal cases, attend to courts or represent the Trust in Government offices.
d) TREASURER:
The Treasurer will prepare Annual Budget, monthly and yearly expenditure statements
get the expenditure audited by auditor duly appointed by the Board of Trustees and
place them before the Board of Trustees for approval. The Treasurer is responsible to
maintain cash book and prepare vouchers for the payments made, receive
contributions, sign acknowledgements for the amounts or articles received by the Trust
and prepare monthly and yearly statements of revenue and expenditure, as well as, the
register of assets of the Trust and place them before the Board of Trustees for their
approval.
The Treasurer is authorized to sign bank cheques, application for drafts and payment
instructions jointly with the Managing Trustee and draw money from the bank, upto
the limits defined by the Board of Trustees in their meetings. The Treasurer is
responsible for safe custody of cash, bonds, securities etc. of the Trust.
VI. MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
The Board of Trustees should meet atleast once in every calendar quarter and may meet
more often when required.
1) The meeting of Board of Trustees shall be convened by the Managing Trustee and he
shall preside over the meetings. In his absence, the Managing Trustee may authorize
the Vice President to be the Chairman of such meetings. In the event the Managing
Trustee or Vice President are not able to attend the meeting already convened, any
of the Trustees present in the meeting may elect one amongst themselves to be the
Chairman of the meeting.
2) One half of the Board of Trustees or a minimum of two trustees, whichever is
higher, shall constitute the QUORUM for the Board of Trustee meetings.
3) All decisions shall be carried out by the majority decision of the Board but in the
event of equality of votes, the Chairman presiding over the meeting shall have a
casting vote.
4) Any resolution in writing signed by all the Trustees by circulation shall have equal
force as though it has been passed at a meeting of the Board of Trustees.
5) The meeting of the Board shall be conveyed after giving at least a week’s notice
unless all the Trustees agree to accept a shorter notice.
6) The Board of Trustees may invite other persons interested in the objects and
functioning of the Trust to attend the meetings of the Board, but they shall not be
entitled vote in the meetings of the Board.
VII. BANK ACCOUNT:
The Managing Trustee and the Treasurer shall jointly operate Bank Accounts on behalf
of the Trust. In their absence, any of the Trustees may be authorized by the Board of
Trustees, by a resolution, to operate the bank accounts. One or more Bank Accounts
may be opened in any Bank and or Banks in the name of the Trust.
VIII. INVESTMENT OF TRUST FUNDS:
1) The Board of Trustees shall have the power to invest the funds, assets and properties
of the Trust at their discretion in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax
Act, 1961.
2) The Board shall also determine from time to time, the amount it shall spend on the
various activities of the Trust.
IX. ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT:
1) The financial year of the Trust shall be from 1st April to 31st March of the following
year, unless otherwise decided by the Board of Trustees.
2) The Board of Trustees shall maintain true and correct accounts of the Trust.
3) The accounts of the Trust shall be annually audited by a Chartered Accountant
appointed by the Board of Trustees and the audited statement of account shall be
placed before the Board for its approval within three months of the close of the
financial year.
X. AMENDMENTS:
1) While this Trust shall be irrevocable, the Board of Trustees may amend any of the
clauses except those relating to objects of the Trust, the First Managing Trustee and
First Trustees, at a duly convened meeting of the Board with at least 2 weeks’ notice,
and by a resolution passed by atleast three-fourths majority of the Board of Trustees
present and voting. The amendments to the Trust deed can only be passed by a
resolution of the Board of Trustees in an actual meeting and not by circulation.
2) If any alteration or amendment is necessary, the same shall be affected through
supplementary deed/deeds with the previous approval of the Commissioner of
Income Tax and these shall be read together with the main Trust deed.
XI. INDEMNITY:
The Board of Trustees shall be indemnified for any act done by them in good faith in the
course of the administration of the Trust.
XII. SETTLOR AND THEIR RELATIVES:
Notwithstanding the powers vested with the Trustees under the proceeding clause, no
part of the income of the Trust shall benefit directly or indirectly the trustees and no
part of the income of the property of the Trust shall be used or applied directly or
indirectly for the benefit of:
(a) SETTLOR, Managing Trustee, Trustees or any person who makes a substantial
contribution to the Trust or of any relative of the SETTLOR, Managing Trustee,
Trustees or the person who makes a substantial contribution.
(b) Any “related concern” in which any of the above persons has substantial
interest.
(c) For the purpose of this clause, the word “relative” and the phrases “related
concern”, “substantial interest” and “substantial contribution” shall have the
meanings assigned to them in the Income Tax Act, 1961.
XIII. APPLICABILITY OF TRUST ACT:
The provisions of the Indian Trust Act 1882 shall apply to all matters not specifically
mentioned in these presents.
XIV. APPLICATION OF INCOME TAX ACT:
All clauses herein are intended to secure exemption from Income Tax on the income of
contributions and donations to the Trust and any clause or portion of this Deed of Trust
which is inconsistent with or repugnant to the sections of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as
amended, substituted or modified from time to time, shall be deemed to be deleted or
modified with effect from the date on which the sections to which the clause or part of a
clause is repugnant or inconsistent comes into force.
XV. THIS TRUST IS DECLARED IRREVOCABLE
XVI. DISSOLUTION:
In the event of dissolution of the Trust, the entire Trust funds shall be realized and first
be used for payment of liabilities of the Trust. The assets left if any, shall be disbursed
to other Trusts or Associations having similar objectives after obtaining previous
approval of Commissioner of Income-tax and in no event it shall be distributed in any
manner, to any of the Board of Trustees or their relatives or related concerns.
SCHEDULE
At present, the Trust has no property or assets, either movable or immovable, other
than the Trust Fund and the immovable properties, donated by the SETTLOR, as
described in the Schedule below:
1. Cash contribution to the Corpus Fund of the Trust of Rupees ---------------
(Rupees --------------------------------------------------------------------------- only)
2. Properties of --------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Assets of -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN WITNESS WHEREOF THE SETTLER AND THE FIRST TRUSTEES here to have
set their hands on the day, month, and year first above written.
SIGNATURE OF SETTLOR SIGNATURE OF FIRST TRUSTEES
Signature: -------------------- 1. Signature: --------------------
Name: Name:
Address: Address:
2. Signature: --------------------
Name:
Address:
3. Signature: --------------------
Name:
Address:
Witnesses:
1) Signature: --------------------
Name and address 4. Signature: --------------------
Name:
Address:
2) Signature: -------------------- 5. Signature: --------------------
Name and address Name:
Address:
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