H.A.MARTIN vs MOSES THAMBI PILLAI .

The Supreme Court addressed the applicability of the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 to the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC), which was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The Court held that under Section 53 of the 1975 Act, all societies registered under the 1860 Act are deemed to be registered under the new Act, and thus, the TELC cannot claim blanket exemption from its provisions. The appeal was dismissed, affirming the High Court's decision that the TELC must comply with the statutory requirements of the 1975 Act.