A change report for a new, resigning or deceased trustee is only as good as the papers behind it. Since Rule 13(2A) came in, the Charity Commissioner’s office checks that the change was made the way the trust deed requires: a proper notice, a quorum, the required majority, the incoming trustee’s consent and, for an outgoing trustee, an affidavit. Below are sample formats for each of those papers, in plain English, with the points the office looks for.
Key facts
- Deadline
- Change report in Schedule III, ordinarily within 90 days (Section 22; Rule 13(2A))
- Resolution and consent letter
- Plain paper or letterhead; the consent letter is signed by the incoming trustee, with ID and address proof
- Outgoing trustee
- Affidavit under Rule 6(4) on stamp paper; can be exempted if the trustee has died or cannot be traced
- From 1 September 2025
- State whether each appointment is tenure or perpetual (Section 30A)
- Filed with
- The Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner for the region
Use these as a starting point, not a final draft. Every trust deed has its own rules on who may appoint, how many trustees there can be and what majority is needed. Adapt the wording to your deed, and take advice where the deed is unclear or the board is divided.
1. Notice of the trustees’ meeting
Sample notice
[Name of the Trust]
Registration No. [PTR number], [Region]
[Address of the trust office]
Date: [date]
NOTICE is hereby given that a meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on [date] at [time] at [place] to consider the following business:
- To take note of the [resignation / death] of [name], trustee.
- To consider and, if thought fit, appoint [name] as a trustee under Clause [__] of the Trust Deed.
- To authorise a trustee to file the change report under Section 22 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950.
All trustees are requested to attend.
[Name], [Managing Trustee / Secretary]
Send it to every trustee entitled to notice, in the manner and with the notice period the deed requires, and keep proof of sending (acknowledgements, emails or signatures on a copy).
2. Resolution appointing a new trustee
Sample resolution
CERTIFIED TRUE COPY of the resolution passed at the meeting of the Board of Trustees of [Name of the Trust] held on [date] at [place], at which [number] trustees out of [total] were present, forming the quorum required by Clause [__] of the Trust Deed.
RESOLVED THAT, in exercise of the power under Clause [__] of the Trust Deed, [full name], residing at [address], be and is hereby appointed a trustee of the Trust with effect from [date], as a [tenure trustee for a period of [__] years / perpetual trustee], in the vacancy caused by [reason].
RESOLVED FURTHER THAT [name], trustee, is authorised to file a change report under Section 22 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 with the Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner, [Region], and to sign all papers for that purpose.
Proposed by: [name] · Seconded by: [name] · Voting: [for] in favour, [against] against.
[Signatures of the trustees present / the chairperson]
Since 1 September 2025, Section 30A distinguishes tenure trustees from perpetual trustees, so the resolution should say which the new trustee is. Where the deed does not provide for perpetual trustees, they cannot exceed one-fourth of the board. See the 2025 amendment.
3. Consent letter of the incoming trustee
Sample consent letter
To,
The Board of Trustees, [Name of the Trust], [address]
I, [full name], son/daughter/wife of [name], aged [__] years, residing at [address], hereby give my consent to act as a trustee of [Name of the Trust] (Registration No. [__]) with effect from [date], as a [tenure trustee for [__] years / perpetual trustee].
I confirm that I am not disqualified from acting as a trustee, and I undertake to act in accordance with the Trust Deed and the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950.
Mobile: [__] · Email: [__] · PAN: [__]
Enclosed: identity proof and address proof.
Date: [__] · Signature: [__]
4. Resignation letter of a trustee
Sample resignation letter
To,
The Board of Trustees, [Name of the Trust], [address]
I, [full name], a trustee of [Name of the Trust] (Registration No. [__]), hereby resign as a trustee with effect from [date], for personal reasons. I request the Board to accept my resignation and to report the change to the Charity Commissioner.
I confirm that I hold no trust property or records other than [details / none], which I will hand over to [name] on or before [date].
Date: [__] · Signature: [__]
5. Resolution accepting the resignation or recording a death
Sample resolution
RESOLVED THAT the resignation of [name] as a trustee, tendered by letter dated [date], be and is hereby accepted with effect from [date]. [or] RESOLVED THAT the Board places on record the death of [name], trustee, on [date], and notes the resulting vacancy.
RESOLVED FURTHER THAT [name], trustee, is authorised to file a change report under Section 22 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 and to sign all papers for that purpose.
6. Affidavit of the outgoing trustee
The rules call for an affidavit of each outgoing trustee (Rule 6(4)), unless the officer exempts it because the trustee has died or cannot be traced. It is made on stamp paper of the value required and sworn before a competent authority. It usually confirms:
- the deponent’s name, address and the date they ceased to be a trustee;
- that the resignation was voluntary (or the circumstances of removal);
- that they hold no trust property, funds or records, or what they have handed over and to whom;
- that they have no objection to the change being recorded.
Because it is sworn, it should be drafted carefully and signed only when every statement in it is true.
What to attach to the change report
- The notice of the meeting and proof that it was sent
- The certified resolution
- The consent letter, with identity and address proof, mobile and email of the new trustee
- The resignation letter and the outgoing trustee’s affidavit, or the death certificate
- The trust deed, and the current register extract (Schedule I)
The report is filed in Schedule III through the trust’s login on the Charity Commissioner’s portal, ordinarily within 90 days of the change. Use the deadline calculator to check your date.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official format for these papers?
The change report itself is in the prescribed Schedule III. The notice, resolution and consent letter are the trust’s own documents, so their wording follows the trust deed. What matters is that they show the steps the deed requires.
Do the resolution and consent need stamp paper?
The resolution and consent letter are ordinarily on plain paper or the trust’s letterhead. The affidavit of the outgoing trustee is on stamp paper and sworn.
Our deed says nothing about how trustees are appointed. What now?
Then the appointment needs advice before anything is filed. Where the deed is silent on the term, Section 30A allows unanimous appointment for up to five years at a time, but the route depends on the deed and the facts.
Consultations are by appointment. To fix a time, telephone +91 99301 50560 or send a message on WhatsApp.
These sample formats are general illustrations as of October 2026. They are not legal advice and must be adapted to the trust deed and the facts of each case.