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Issues Involved:
1. Maintainability of the petition. 2. Validity of the Repealing Act under Articles 14, 19, and 31 of the Constitution. 3. Legislative competence of the Bombay State Legislature to pass the Repealing Act. 4. Determination of the rightful beneficiaries of the trust properties after the repeal of the Baronetcy Act. 5. Application of the doctrine of resulting trust and the intention contrary to a resulting trust. Issue-wise Detailed Analysis: 1. Maintainability of the Petition: The maintainability of the petition was challenged by Mr. Chagla, arguing that the Repealing Act itself was ultra vires the Bombay State Legislature as it violated Articles 14 and 31 of the Constitution. Mr. Bhabha countered, arguing that respondents Nos. 6 to 8 had no "immediate and direct" interest in the trust properties, thus could not challenge the validity of the Repealing Act. The court found that the preliminary objection was not well taken, noting that the challenge to the Act was not confined to property rights but also included legislative competence. 2. Validity of the Repealing Act under Articles 14, 19, and 31: - Article 14: Mr. Chagla argued that the Repealing Act violated Article 14 by treating the Baronetcy differently from other similar trusts. The court held that the difference in treatment was justified as the Baronet in this case was an evacuee, unlike in other cases. Thus, there was a just and reasonable relation between the difference in provisions and the fact that the Baronet was an evacuee. - Article 19: The court noted that respondents Nos. 6 to 8 were not citizens of India and thus could not claim rights under Article 19. Even if they could, the court found that the Repealing Act did not impose unreasonable restrictions on property rights. - Article 31: The court found no substance in the plea that the Repealing Act violated Article 31. The Act did not compulsorily acquire or requisition property; it merely transferred the trust properties to the Official Trustee for distribution. 3. Legislative Competence: Mr. Chagla argued that the Bombay State Legislature lacked the competence to pass the Repealing Act as it fell under Item 44 of List I (Union List). The court held that the Repealing Act was primarily about trusts and trustees, falling under Item 10 of List III (Concurrent List). The court also found that the State Legislature had the power to repeal an existing law with the assent of the President, which was obtained in this case. 4. Determination of Rightful Beneficiaries: The court had to determine whether the trust properties should revert to the estate of the First Baronet or be distributed according to the Will of the First Baronet. The court concluded that the properties reverted to the estate of the First Baronet on the extinguishment of the statutory trust created by the Baronetcy Act. 5. Doctrine of Resulting Trust and Intention Contrary to Resulting Trust: The court examined whether the doctrine of resulting trust applied, which would mean the properties reverted to the estate of the First Baronet. The court also considered whether there was an intention contrary to a resulting trust, which would mean the properties should go to the Fourth Baronet. The court found that the First Baronet intended the properties to benefit the Baronet for the time being and his heirs. Thus, the Fourth Baronet was entitled to the trust properties. Conclusion: The court upheld the validity of the Repealing Act, finding it did not violate Articles 14, 19, or 31 of the Constitution and was within the legislative competence of the Bombay State Legislature. The court also concluded that the trust properties reverted to the estate of the First Baronet and should be distributed according to the law, ultimately benefiting the Fourth Baronet. The appeal by the Custodian of Evacuee Property was dismissed.
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