The High Court of Jharkhand at Ranchi delivered its judgment on 23 July 2026 in Letters Patent Appeals No. 79/1992 and No. 80/1992, which arose from Title Suit No. 05 of 1971 and Title Suit No. 11 of 1971 concerning the Santal Mission of Northern Churches (SMNC) trust. The appellants, including several individual beneficiaries, challenged the validity of an Instrument of Transfer dated 10 February 1968 that purportedly transferred trust properties to Trust Association of the N.E.L.C. (NELC Pvt Ltd). The court examined issues of maintainability under Section 92 CPC, limitation, non‑joinder of NELC Pvt Ltd, and alleged illegality of the transfer. After detailed analysis, the court concluded that the appeals lacked merit, upheld the First Appellate Court’s common judgment dated 30 June 1992, restored the 1968 Instrument of Transfer, and affirmed the decree in Title Suit No. 11 of 1971. The appeals were dismissed without any order as to costs, and any pending interim applications were also disposed of. This content may not be financially relevant.