SCAORA passes resolution by 9:3 majority disassociating from SCAOR Welfare Trust; asks trust to refrain from using SCAORA name

Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) has passed a resolution clarifying that “Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Welfare Trust” has no relation to SCAORA and has called upon the trust to refrain from using the words ‘Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record’ in its name..The resolution said use of such name as well as the address of SCAORA by the said trust has led to the erroneous impression that the said trust is being run or managed by SCAORA..In a majority resolution passed on July 18, 2021, with nine executive members voting in favour and three dissenting, the association stated that contributions that legitimately “should have been credited to SCAORA for the benefit of its members have been received by the said trust, leaving SCAORA bereft of funds.”President of SCAORA, Shivaji Jadhav was one of the dissenting voters. .The “SCAOR Welfare Trust” came into existence on February 7, 2013. As per the trust deed seven named lawyers, including non AORS, are life trustees.“President, Vice-President and Secretary of SCAORA, who as per the said trust deed are to be ex officio trustees in the said Trust during their tenure, does not tantamount to the said Trust being run or managed by the Executive Committee of SCAORA in office,” the resolution passed by SCAORA said..The resolution said that the trust receives “substantial contributions by way of costs and donations by virtue of it using the words ‘Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record’ in its name and the address of SCAORA.”.The resolution said that the trust deed not only enables any advocate (other than an AOR who is member of SCAORA) to become a life trustee upon contribution /donation of a sum of Rs 25 lakh or more to the corpus of the trust, but that its objects and purposes also extend the benefits to non AORs as well..The resolution passed further stated that even if there had been any resolution of SCAORA to create the said trust with SCAORA as settlor on the terms laid down in the said trust deed, “the same would have been beyond the Memorandum of Association of SCAORA, and would have necessitated appropriate amendments, if legally permissible, to the said Memorandum.”.[Read Resolution]