BURIALS

Burial ground

Attorney General v Lim Poh Neo & Ors [1976] 2 MLJ 233, High Court, Singapore In this case, the Attorney General (AG) of Singapore sued Lim Poh Neo (W) and others for a declaration that a gift of a burial ground to the Lim clan was a good charitable gift. The AG argued that the gift was not charitable because it was not for the benefit of the public at large. However, the court held that the gift was charitable because it was for the benefit of a section of the public, namely, the members of the Lim clan. The court also held that the gift was not invalid because it was made to a specific group of people, rather than to the public at large.



Reservation of part of ground for particular families

Chua Sin Ghee v Chua Tian Choon [1933] MLJ 259, High Court, Straits Settlements In this case, Chua Sin Ghee sued his brother, Chua Tian Choon, for a declaration that a reservation of part of a burial ground for the use of particular families was invalid. Chua Sin Ghee argued that the reservation was invalid because it was not for the benefit of the public at large. However, the court held that the reservation was valid because it was for the benefit of a section of the public, namely, the families who were entitled to use the reserved part of the burial ground.

Strangers

Re Alsagoff Trusts [1956] MLJ 244, High Court, Singapore In this case, the court was asked to decide whether a fund for the burial of poor strangers was a charitable trust. The court held that the fund was a charitable trust because it was for the benefit of the public at large. The court also held that the fact that the fund was for the burial of poor strangers did not make it any less charitable.