A large part of the practice at these chambers is work for public trusts, societies and NGOs: schools, madrasas, mosques, temples, dargahs, hospitals, community and welfare organisations across Mumbai. This page brings together everything a board usually needs, from the Charity Commissioner’s office at Worli to NGO DARPAN, income tax registration, CSR and FCRA.
Start with a file check
Most trust problems come from a record that has fallen out of step: trustees on the register who left years ago, accounts not filed, a PAN with a different spelling. The first step is usually to look at where the trust actually stands.
- Do the one-minute trust health check below.
- Send the trust’s name and PTR number on WhatsApp, with a line on what you need. Send on WhatsApp.
- Bring the papers to the first consultation: the trust deed, registration certificate, last change report order, and recent audited accounts.
Charity Commissioner work
- Public trust registration
- Society registration
- Change reports, including late reports
- Formats for a change of trustee
- Section 36 sanction to sell or lease trust property
- Trustee disputes and removal of trustees
- Accounts, audit and annual compliance
- Getting the trust on the online portal
- Changing a trust’s name or objects
- Tenure and perpetual trustees (2025 amendment)
NGO registrations and funding
- NGO DARPAN registration
- DARPAN application stuck or rejected
- 12A and 80G (now Sections 332 and 354)
- Renewing 12A and 80G in Form 105
- CSR-1 registration for CSR funding
- FCRA basics for foreign donations
- NGO and Section 8 company compliance
Religious institutions
Mosques, madrasas, dargahs and temples often have an older Charity Commissioner registration and questions about which law now governs them. See Waqf Board or Charity Commissioner?
Free tools for trustees
- Change report deadline calculator
- Trust health check
- Document checklists for change reports, registration and DARPAN
Common questions from boards
Our trustees changed years ago and nothing was reported. Can it be fixed?
Yes. Late change reports can be filed with an explanation for the delay, usually in sequence from the oldest change. See late change reports.
Do we need to go to Worli?
Much of the filing is now online, but hearings, inquiries and some steps still need attendance at the Charity Commissioner’s office at Worli. The chambers attend there regularly.
We are a society, not a trust. Does this apply to us?
Yes. A charitable society in Maharashtra is registered both under the Societies Registration Act and as a public trust, so the Charity Commissioner’s requirements apply to it too.
Consultations are by appointment, Monday to Sunday, 10:00 to 20:00, at the chambers in Malad West or by telephone. Telephone +91 99301 50560 or send a message on WhatsApp.
This page describes the work of the chambers for information only, in keeping with Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules. It is not legal advice and does not solicit work.
This page describes general procedure and is published for information only, in keeping with Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules. It is not legal advice and does not solicit work. What applies to a particular matter depends on its own facts.