Schedules explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
This article explains the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 as it applies in the State of Maharashtra, formerly the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950. Schedule A lists seven earlier laws and rules on trusts and endowments, and Schedule AA lists four more entries; the Act uses the two lists to say which earlier laws stop applying to a trust once this Act is applied to it, and from which earlier registers trusts and funds are brought across.
This article explains Schedules A and AA as amended up to Maharashtra Act No. XXXVI of 2018 (in force 21 May 2018), per the official text of the Law and Judiciary Department modified up to 19 December 2018. Maharashtra amended the Act again in 2019, 2020, 2024 and 2025; the amending texts consulted do not change these Schedules, but the current text should be checked on the Charity Commissioner's website before relying on them. Schedule B, which follows them, is a separate Schedule and is not described here.
Schedule A (printed "See sections 28, 61 and 85") lists seven earlier laws, from the Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920 to the Deosthan Rules, 1912 of the Jamkhandi State. Schedule AA lists four entries: the 1920 Act as it applies outside the area of the pre-Reorganisation State of Bombay, the Savantwadi Devasthan Act, 1932, the (Hyderabad) Endowment Regulation, 1349 Fasli, and the Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951. The Act says that the listed laws cease to apply to a trust or class of trusts from the date this Act is applied to it under section 1(4).
What the Schedules do
The Schedules are lists. Their effect comes from the sections that refer to them. Section 28, explained in Sections 28 and 28A, deals with trusts registered under the Acts in the Schedules. Section 61 sends the funds and arrears under those Acts into the Public Trusts Administration Fund; see Sections 59 to 61. Sections 85 and 86 provide that the Acts in Schedule A and Schedule AA cease to apply to a trust from the date of application of the Act, and save what was done earlier; see Sections 85 and 86. A reader tracing the history of an old trust, or its registration, can take legal consultation support to match the old law with the new.
Schedule A was given its letter by Bom. 14 of 1951, s. 23, replacing the word "Schedule". The comma and figures "64" were deleted from its reference line by Bom. 21 of 1954, s. 3, Second Schedule. Schedule AA was inserted by Bom. 6 of 1960, s. 41. The old Acts are quoted as printed in the 2018 text; the reader should check the law now in force on each of them, and no replacement is named here.
Schedule A: the seven entries
The reference line reads "(See sections 28, 61 and 85)". The entries, as printed, are:
| No. | Entry | Citation as printed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920 | XIV of 1920 |
| 2 | The Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, as amended by Bombay Act XVIII of 1935 | XLII of 1923 |
| 3 | The Bombay Public Trusts Registration Act, 1935 | Bom. XXV of 1935 |
| 4 | The Parsee Public Trusts Registration Act, 1936 | Bom. XXIII of 1936 |
| 5 | The Baroda Public Institutions Act | Baroda Act VI of Samvat 1961 |
| 6 | The Religious Endowments Act, 1863 as applied to the Jamkhandi State in 1890 | XX of 1863 |
| 7 | The Deosthan Rules, 1912 of the Jamkhandi State as amended by Jamkhandi Act 1 of 1948 |
These are the earlier laws that, for a trust to which this Act has been applied under section 1(4), "shall cease to apply" from the date of application, under section 85(2). In plain terms, a trust that was registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Registration Act, 1935 or the Parsee Public Trusts Registration Act, 1936 comes under this Act once it is applied to it, and the earlier Act no longer governs it. The same holds for the other entries to the extent they applied to the trust. Section 85(4) separately moves proceedings pending under the 1923, 1935 and 1936 Acts to the Charity Commissioner.
Schedule AA: the four entries
Schedule AA was inserted in 1960. The entries are:
| No. | Entry | Citation as printed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920, in its application to the areas of the State other than the area comprised in the pre-Reorganisation State of Bombay | XIV of 1920 |
| 2 | The Savantwadi Devasthan Act, 1932 | |
| 3 | The (Hyderabad) Endowment Regulation, 1349, Fasli | |
| 4 | The Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951 | M. P. Act XXX of 1951 |
For these entries, section 86(2) provides that, on the date the Act is applied to a trust or class of trusts under section 1(4), "the provisions of the Acts specified in Schedule AA which apply to such trust or class of trusts shall cease to apply thereto." Section 86(5) says that arrears of contributions and other sums payable under them remain recoverable under this Act, and section 86(6) moves the records kept by Registrars under the Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951 to the Charity Commissioner or the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner as he directs.
Reading the two lists side by side
| Point | Schedule A | Schedule AA |
|---|---|---|
| Number of entries | Seven | Four |
| The 1920 Act | Entry 1 (the 1920 Act in general) | Entry 1 (the 1920 Act outside the pre-Reorganisation State of Bombay area) |
| Madhya Pradesh law | Not listed | The Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951 |
| Hyderabad law | Not listed | The (Hyderabad) Endowment Regulation, 1349 Fasli |
| Origin | Lettered by Bom. 14 of 1951 | Inserted by Bom. 6 of 1960 |
| Cessation provision | Section 85(2) | Section 86(2) |
The 1920 Act appears in both lists. The Schedules do not themselves say which area each older law covered, apart from the words in entry 1 of Schedule AA and in entry 6 of Schedule A.
For the Acts that have sister explainers on this site, see Sections 1 and 2 of the Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920 and Sections 1 and 2 of the Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951. Registration of the immovable property of trusts registered under the earlier Acts is dealt with in Section 22C, which refers to the two Schedules.
Illustration. A trust in Kolhapur district was registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Registration Act, 1935 (Schedule A, entry 3). When this Act is applied to it under section 1(4), that 1935 Act stops applying to it from the date of application, its old fund and arrears are dealt with under section 61, and the trust is brought into the register under this Act. A trust in the Vidarbha region registered under the Madhya Pradesh Public Trusts Act, 1951 (Schedule AA, entry 4) is dealt with under section 86 in the same way.
Need help tracing an old registration?
A trust with an old registration number under an earlier Act needs its papers matched to the new register. Our team can trace the old registration and advise through legal consultation services.
Key takeaways
- Schedule A lists seven earlier laws and rules; Schedule AA lists four entries.
- Schedule A is referred to in sections 28, 61 and 85; Schedule AA in sections 61 and 86.
- The listed Acts cease to apply to a trust or class of trusts from the date this Act is applied to it under section 1(4).
- Old rights are saved and old funds, arrears, proceedings and records are brought across by sections 61, 85 and 86.
- The old Acts are quoted as printed; check the law now in force.
Read next
- Sections 28 and 28A: trusts registered under earlier Acts and memorandum to the sub-registrar
- Section 22C: particulars of immovable property of trusts registered earlier
- Sections 85 and 86: repeal of the Religious Endowments Act and savings
Disclaimer: Based on the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 as modified up to 19 December 2018 in the official text of the Law and Judiciary Department, Government of Maharashtra, as consulted on 3 October 2026. Maharashtra amended the Act again in 2019, 2020, 2024 and 2025; the current text, the Maharashtra Public Trusts Rules and the Charity Commissioner's circulars should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.