[This is the version of this document at 30 June 2017.]
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Vaishnav Foundation Act.
2. Interpretation
In this Act—"Committee" means the committee referred to in section 5;"Foundation" means the Vaishnav Foundation established under section 3.
3. Establishment of Foundation
(1)There is established for the purposes of this Act the Vaishnav Foundation.(2)The Foundation shall be a body corporate.
4. Objects of Foundation
The objects of the Foundation shall be to—(a)promote the teaching of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Ramayana, the Gita and any other scripture of the Vaishnav faith;(b)promote Hindu art and culture in the Vaishnav faith and awaken in the Hindus generally a deeper and livelier interest in their artistic, cultural and spiritual heritage;(c)promote the teaching of Hindi, Sanskrit, and regional languages of India currently in use in Mauritius;(d)set up and run educational, cultural, charitable, and religious institutions;(e)promote exchanges and relationships with other organizations having similar objectives, both locally and internationally; and(f)undertake any other activity which is incidental and conducive to the cultural, educational, and spiritual uplift of the Hindu community in general.
5. Management
(a)The management of the Foundation and the exercise of its powers shall rest in a Committee composed of such number of members not exceeding 25 as may be prescribed.(b)—(c)The Committee may, upon a vacancy occurring, shall elect any suitable person of the Vaishnav faith to fill the vacancy.(d)A vacancy shall be deemed to have arisen in such circumstances as the Committee shall determine.(e)The registered office of the Foundation shall be at such place as the Committee may from time to time determine.
6. Donations and legacies
Article 910 of the Code Civil Mauricien shall not apply to the Foundation.
7. Audit
The accounts of the Foundation shall be audited every year by such competent persons as the Committee shall determine.
8. Exemptions
Notwithstanding any other enactment—(a)the Foundation shall be exempt from the payment of duty on donations and legacies made to it; and(b)no stamp duty or registration fee shall be payable in respect of any document under which the Foundation is the sole beneficiary.
9. Regulations
(1)The Foundation may make such regulations as it thinks necessary for the purposes of this Act.(2)Notwithstanding the Interpretation and General Clauses Act, regulations made under subsection (1) shall not be required to be—(a)approved by the Minister;(b)laid on the Table of the Assembly; and(c)published in the Gazette.(3)A copy of the regulations made by the Foundation shall be recorded in a special book kept for that purpose by the Foundation and signed by every member of the Committee.(4)A copy of the regulations made by the Foundation shall be signed by every member of the Committee and displayed at the registered office of the Foundation.