18. Taking of legal proceedings
Feedback & supportCharity proceedings may be taken with reference to a charity either by the charity, or by any of the charity trustees, or by any person interested in the charity, but not by any other person.
charity
“charity” means any institution, corporate or not, which is established for charitable purposes and is subject to the control of the High Court in exercise of the Court’s jurisdiction with respect to charities;
Subject to this section, no charity proceedings relating to a charity (other than an exempt charity) shall be entertained or proceeded with in any court unless the taking of the proceedings is authorised by order of the Commissioner.
The Commissioner shall not, without special reasons, authorise the taking of charity proceedings where in his opinion the case can be dealt with by him under the powers of this Act.
Commissioner
“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Charities appointed under this Act;
This section shall not require any order for the taking of proceedings in a pending cause or matter or for the bringing of any appeal.
Where subsection (2) requires the taking of charity proceedings to be authorised by an order of the Commissioner, the proceedings may nevertheless be entertained or proceeded with if after the order had been applied for and refused leave to take the proceedings was obtained from the High Court.
Nothing in subsections (1) to (5) shall apply to the taking of proceedings by the Attorney-General, with or without a relator.
Where it appears to the Commissioner, on an application for an order under this section or otherwise, that it is desirable for legal proceedings to be taken with reference to any charity (other than an exempt charity) or its property or affairs, and for the proceedings to be taken by the Attorney-General, the Commissioner shall so inform the Attorney-General, and send him such statements and particulars as the Commissioner thinks necessary to explain the matter.
In this section, “charity proceedings” means proceedings in the High Court brought under the court’s jurisdiction with respect to charities, or brought under the court’s jurisdiction with respect to trusts in relation to the administration of a trust for charitable purposes.
trusts
“trusts”, in relation to a charity, means the provisions establishing it as a charity and regulating its purposes and administration, whether those provisions take effect by way of trust or not, and in relation to other institutions has a corresponding meaning.