THE TRAVANCORE-COCHIN HINDU RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS  (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1994 [1]

(ACT 3 OF 1994)

An Act further to amend the  Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act,  1950.

Preamble.—WHEREAS it is expedient further to amend the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950 for the purposes hereinafter appearing;

BE it enacted in the Forty-fifth year of the Republic of India as follows:—

1.    Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act  may be called the Travancore-Cochin    Hindu    Religious    Institutions    (Amendment) Act, 1994.

(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 4th day of October, 1993.

2. Amendment of section 2.—In section 2 of the Travancore-Cochin Hindu    Religious    Institutions    Act,     1950    (Act   XV   of   1950) (hereinafter   referred   to   as the   principal   Act),    for the opening paragraph of clause (aa)  the following shall be substituted, namely:—

"(aa) 'Hindu' means a person who is a Hindu by birth or by conversion into Hindu religion and professes Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship:".

3.    Amendment of section 4.—After sub-section (1) of section 4 of the   principal   Act,   the following sub-section   shall   be   inserted, namely:—

                  "(1A) Each of the Hindus among the Council of Ministers shall, before making the nomination under sub-section (1), deliver to the authority specified by the Government in this behalf a declaration signed by him to the effect that he professes the Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship".

4.    Amendment of section 5.—To section 5 of the principal Act, the following shall be added at the end, namely:—

"Every Hindu member of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Kerala who intends to participate in the election shall, before participating in the election, deliver to the person who presides over the meeting, a declaration signed by him to the effect that he professes the Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship."

5.   Amendment of section 61.—In section 61 of the principal Act, for the opening paragraph of clause (4A), the following shall be substituted, namely:—

"(4A) 'Hindu' means a person who is a Hindu by birth or by conversion into Hindu religion and professes Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship:".

6.Amendment of section 63.—To section 63 of the principal Act, the following proviso shall be added, namely:—

"Provided that each of the Hindus among the Council of Ministers shall, before making the nomination, deliver to the authority specified by the Government in this behalf, a declaration signed by him to the effect that he professes the Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship."

7.   Amendment of section 64.—To section 64 of the principal Act, the following shall be added at the end, namely:—

"Every Hindu member of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Kerala who intends to participate in the election shall, before partici­pating the election, deliver to the person who presides over the meeting, a declaration signed by him to the effect that he professes the Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship."

8.      Amendment of Schedule II.—In Schedule II to the principal Act, in rule 3, in the last sentence, for the words "stating that he is" the words  "stating   that he is a Hindu,   professes the Hindu religion and believes in God and temple worship and he is" shall be substituted.

9.      Repeal and  saving.—(1)  The    Travancore-Cochin  "Hindu Religious Institutions Amendment)  Ordinance,   1993 (8 of 1993), is hereby repealed.

(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the principal Act as amended by the said Ordinance shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the principal Act as amended by this Act.