Power of High Court to make orders in respect of property vested in Official Trustee
Section 25 of the Official Trustees Act, 1913 deals with power of High Court to make orders in respect of property vested in Official Trustee. The High Court may make such orders as it thinks fit respecting any trust property vested in the Official Trustee, or the [income] or produce thereof. The Act came into force on 01 Apr 1914.
The High Court may make such orders as it thinks fit respecting any trust property vested in the Official Trustee, or the 1[income] or produce thereof.
Section 25, The Official Trustees Act, 1913 (Act 2 of 1913).
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
-
Administrator General and Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu (in re trust land auction confirmation)
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
DATE VERIFIED Final Order 2025-03-06 (order-4.pdf; list_case_orders / get_case_brief record Final Order 06.03.2025 and the signed body is dated 06-03-2025). The AG&OT moved under s.25 for High Court orders confirming a public auction of Official Trustee-vested vacant land (51.87 acres at Ayyanambakkam) to the sole bidder at Rs.4.01 crore annual lease. Reading s.25’s supervisory jurisdiction over property vested in the Official Trustee, the Court refused confirmation: defects in the auction notification, a single low bid, and the need for fresh valuation/PWD consultation meant the proposed disposition was not fit to be ratified. The application was closed after directing a fresh, Court-approved notification process; deposit refunded.
On this section: Section 25 is the High Court’s control valve over Official Trustee dispositions: even after a bid, the Court may refuse to make the approving order and remit the Trustee to a properly notified and valued re-auction.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 25
What have the courts held on Section 25 of the Official Trustees Act?
Administrator General and Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu (in re trust land auction confirmation) (06 Mar 2025) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Section 25 is the High Court’s control valve over Official Trustee dispositions: even after a bid, the Court may refuse to make the approving order and remit the Trustee to a properly notified and valued re-auction.
How do I find court cases under Section 25 of the Official Trustees Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Official Trustees Act 1913 25, section 25 Official Trustees Act 1913, section 25 of the Official Trustees Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Administrator General and Official Trustee of Tamil Nadu (in re trust land auction confirmation) (06 Mar 2025).
When did Section 25 of the Official Trustees Act come into force?
Section 25 of the Official Trustees Act, cited as Official Trustees Act 1913 25, came into force on 01 Apr 1914, having been enacted on 27 Feb 1913. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 30. Rules473 words
- 7. General powers and duties of Official Trustee236 words
- 19. Auditors to be appointed to examine Official Trustees‟s accounts, etc., and to report to Government195 words
- 32B. Special provision regarding certain Official Trustees affected by States‟ reorganisation192 words
- 11. Power of private trustees to appoint Official Trustee to be trustee of property186 words
- 32A. Saving182 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 18 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.