The Sri Aurabindo Memorial Act, 1972

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL 
LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT 
West Bengal Act XXIV of 1972 
THE SRI AUROBINDO MEMORIAL ACT, 1972. 
[Passed by the West Bengal Legislature.] 
[Assent of the President was first published in the Calcutta Gazette, 
Extraordinary, of the 12th August, 1972.] 
[12th August, 1972.] 
An Act to establish the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan and the Sri Aurobindo 
Samiti, to perpetuate the memory of Sri Aurobindo. 
WHEREAS it is expedient to establish at 8, Shakespeare Sarani, Calcutta, 
the place where Sri Aurobindo was born and spent his childhood days, the 
Sri Aurobindo Bhavan and to constitute a Society for propagating the 
teachings of Sri Aurobindo amongst the masses so as to help them to raise 
their mental and moral outlook and to solve their cultural and spiritual 
problems in the light of such teachings ; 
It is hereby enacted in the Twenty-third Year of the Republic of India, 
by the Legislature of West Bengal, as follows :- 
1. (1) This Act may be called the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Act, 1972. 
(2) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, 
by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint. 
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 	 Definitions. 
(a) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act ; 
(b) "Sri Aurobindo Bhavan" means the house at 8, Shakespeare 
Sarani, Calcutta, more fully described in the First Schedule 
to this Act ; 
(c) "society" means the Sri Aurobindo Samiti of West Bengal, 
constituted under section 3 of this Act ; 
(d) "trustees of Sri Aurobindo Ashram" means the trustees of Sri 
Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry appointed by the 
Indenture, dated 1st May, 1955, registered as No. 1824 of 
1955, in Book No. 1, Volume 486, pages 340 to 347 at the 
Sub-registry office Vanur, Cuddalore registration district, 
Madras, being supplemental to the Deed of Declaration of 
Short tide 
and com-
mencement. 
147 
The Sri Aurobindo Memorial Act, 1972. 
[West Ben. Act] 
(Sections 3-5.) 
Trust, dated 1st May, 1955, registered as No. 1823 of 1955, 
in Book No. 1, volume 402, pages 273 to 287 at the sub-
registry office Vanur, Cuddalore registration district, 
Madras ; 
(e) "working committee" means the working committee 
constituted under section 11 of this Act. 
Constitut-
ion of the 
Society. 
Composit-
ion of the 
Society. 
Term of 
office. 
3. (1) The State Government shall, as soon as may be, constitute, 
by notification in the Official Gazette, a Society to be called the 
Sri Aurobindo Samiti of West Bengal. 
(2) The Sri Aurobindo Samiti of West Bengal shall, by the said name, 
be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, with 
power to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and 
immovable, to sue and be sued, to enter into contract and to do all things 
necessary for the purposes of this Act. 
4. (1) The Society shall consist of the follolwing members, namely :— 
(a) the Governor of West Bengal, ex-officio, 
(b) the Chief Minister of West Bengal, ex-officio, 
(c) six persons to be nominated by the Government of West 
Bengal, • 
(d) seven persons to be nominated by the trustees of Sri Aurobindo 
Ashram. 
(2) The Governor of West Bengal shall be the Chairman of the 
Society. 
5. (1) A member of the Society shall hold office,— 
(a) if he is an ex-officio member, until he ceases to hold the office 
by virtue of which he becomes a member ; 
(b) if he is a nominated member, until he dies or resigns or is 
replaced by the State Government or by the trustees of Sri 
Aurobindo Ashram, as the case may be, whichever is 
earlier. 
(2) A nominated member may resign his office by writing under his 
hand addressed to the Chairman. 
(3) A casual vacancy in the office of a member shall be filled by fresh 
nomination under clause (c) or clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 
4, as the case may be. 
148 
The Sri Aurobindo Memorial Act, 1972. 
XXIV of 1972.1 
(Sections 6-11.) 
6. (1) All acts done by a majority decision of the members shall be Act of the 
society. 
deemed to be acts of the Society. 
(2) The Society may appoint a person to act as its Secretary and may 
also appoint such other persons as it thinks fit as its staff. 
(3) Orders for the payment of money on behalf of the Society shall be 
deemed to be sufficiently authenticated if signed by two members and 
countersigned by the Secretary of the Society. 
7. The Sri Aurobindo Bhavan owned and possessed by the State 
Government shall, with effect from the day on which this Act comes into 
force, stand transferred to, and vest absolutely in, the Society and the 
Society shall hold the said property in trust with a view to diScharging the 
functions laid down in section 8 and fulfilling the objects set out in the 
Second Schedule to this Act. 
8. The functions of the Society shall, subject to the other provisions 
of this Act, be to administer the property referred to in section 7, in 
accordance with such scheme as may be prescribed consistently with 
the objects set out in the Second Schedule to this Act. 
9. (1) The Society shall have a fund to be called the Sri Aurobindo 
Samiti Fund, to which shall be credited— 
(a) all sums of money paid or granted by the State Government, 
either as contributions for the maintenance of the property 
of the Society referred to in section 7 or for discharging the 
functions of the Society referred to in section 8, 
(b) all other sums of money received by the Society, and 
(c) all income derived from any property owned or managed by the 
Society. 
(2) The Fund shall become vested in the Society and shall be under 
the control, and be held in trust for the purposes, of the Society. 
10. The accounts of the Society shall be kept, audited and published 
in accordance with such rules as may be made by the State Government. 
11. (1) The Society may constitute a working committee consisting 
of such number of its own members not exceeding five, as the Society 
thinks fit. 
(2) A member of the working committee shall hold office for the 
Property of 
the Society. 
Functions of 
the Society. 
The Society 
fund. 
Maintenance 
of accounts 
by the 
Sociey. 
The working 
committee. 
149 
The Sri Aurobindo Memorial Act, 1972. 
[West Ben. Act 
Validation. 
(Sections 12-14.) 
period for which he remains a member of the Society or until he resigns 
or is replaced by the Society, whichever is earlier. 
(3) A casual vacancy in the working committee shall be filled by the 
Society by fresh nomination of another member of the Society. 
(4) The Society may delegate, subject to such conditions and 
limitations as the Society may think fit to impose, all or any of its functions 
under this Act in favour of the working committee. 
12. No act done or proceedings taken under this Act shall be invalid 
merely by reason of— 
(a) the existence of any vacancy or any defect in the constitution 
of the Society or the working committee, 
(b) any person having ceased to be a member of the Society or the 
working committee, or 
(c) any omission, defect or irregularity not affecting the merits of 
the case. 
Rules. 	 13. (1) The State Government may make rules for carrying out the 
purposes of this Act. 
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such 
rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely :— 
(a) scheme for administration of the property, referred to in 
section 8, 
(b) manner in which the accounts of the Society shall be kept, 
audited and published referred to in section 10, and 
(c) any other matter which may or is required to be prescribed. 
Regulations. 	 14. The Society may make regulations to provide for all or any of the 
following matters, namely :— 
(a) meetings of the Society and of the working committee, the 
manner in which such meetings shall be convened, the 
quorum necessary for transaction of business and the 
procedure at such meetings, 
(b) the powers and duties of the Secretary of the Society, 
(c) the appointment, remuneration and all other conditions of 
service of the Secretary and other members of the staff 
employed by the Society, 
(d) any other matter which the Society thinks necessary for the due 
discharge of its functions under this Act. 
150 
The Sri Aurobindo Memorial Act, 1972. 
XXIV of 1972.] 
FIRST SCHEDULE 
[See section 2 (b).] 
(a) Premises No. 8, Shakespeare Sarani, being all that piece or 
parcel or plot of rent-free land measuring 0.61 hectare, more or less, 
situate in the town of Calcutta bounded in the following manner, that is 
to say, on the north by Shakespeare Sarani, on the south by 16 and 17, 
Lord Sinha Road, on the east by 10, Shakespeare Sarani, and on the 
west by 6, Shakespeare Sarani, 
(b) together with all buildings, structures and erections standing or 
being on the said land, which said premises and buildings are commonly 
known as 8, Shakespeare Sarani, Calcutta, and 
(c) together with all rights, easements and appurtenances whatsoever 
belonging or attached or appurtenant to the said land, buildings, structures 
and erections or held or enjoyed therewith. 
SECOND SCHEDULE 
(See sections 7 and 8.) 
The property of the Society may, inter alio, be used for the following 
objects, that is to say:— 
(1) for holding public meetings and lectures for propagating the 
teachings of Sri Aurobindo amongst the masses, 
(2) for holding such lectures, seminars and discourses as may 
be beneficial to the mental and moral outlook of the people 
generally and as may help them to solver their cultural 
and spiritual problems in the light of the teachings of Sri 
Aurobindo, 
(3) to provide a reading room which may offer to the public an 
opportunity to be acquainted with the thoughts of Sri 
Aurobindo, 
(4) to provide a suitable place for preservation of the sacred relics 
of Sri Aurobindo where members of the public may pay 
homage to his memory, 
(5) to provide opportunites for enabling research students to carry 
on research on the life and teachings of Sri Aurobindo, and 
(6) to provide a permanent exhibition with models depicting the life 
and times of Sri Aurobindo as well as events of India leading 
up to the freedom struggle of Bangladesh. 
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