Vicky Nanjappa reports about the uncertain future of the Rs 40,000 crore worth Sathya Sai Central Trust, which remains headless post the spiritual leader's demise.
High level discussions are on in the Andhra Pradesh government with regard to the takeover of the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust. Ever since the death of Sathya Sai Baba, the trust has been mired in one controversy after another.
Vicky Nanjappa examines the tussles within the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust and options that would ensure a peaceful transition
The will of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, who passed away in April last year, has been made public. A 14-page document along with an annexure of the original states that all the donations and the assets give by his devotees belong to the Sathya Sai Central Trust.
With Sathya Sai Baba's last rites performed on Wednesday, the next question which arises is that of the future of Puttaparthi. There has been speculation regarding the future of Puttaparthi after Baba's passing away on Sunday, and the members of the trust will brief the media on this issue at 11 am on Thursday.
With the passing away of spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba on Sunday morning, it will now be the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust which will control the Rs 40,000 crore spiritual empire.
Speaking for the first time after being mired in controversy, V Srinivasan, a trustee with the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust refuted allegations of any wrongdoings.
The police are questioning members of Sathya Sai Central Trust in Puttaparthi in relation to the Rs 35.5 lakh seized at Kodikonda checkpost at Hindupur on June 18. While the police have completed the questioning of Ratnakar, Sathya Sai Baba's nephew, the interrogation of Srinivasan, a high-profile member of the trust, is underway.
Sathya Sai Baba had no will; Sathyajith has no membership in the trust; and the Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust will soon have a new chairman -- these are some of the points that have cropped up during the ongoing press conference of the trust at Puttaparthi a day after the spiritual leader was laid to rest.
A group of devotees of the late Sathya Sai Baba, in a statement on Sunday, said the cash of Rs 35 lakh recovered from the vehicle of Sathya Sai Central Trust belonged to them and was meant for the construction of the Sai's Maha Samadhi.
The airport's owner, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, which manages the religious and philanthropic assets and work of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, has invited bids for it and put the floor price at Rs 600 crore. One big attraction of this airport is that it is only 70 km from the Bangalore International Airport, coming up in Devanahalli. The vantage location will allow airlines to feed the southern sector, which currently has 30 major and minor airports.
The Andhra Pradesh government will come under tremendous pressure on Thursday, when it hears a petition, with a directive to provide visuals of Sathya Sai Baba in hospital.
Taking matters to the streets, several devotees of Sathya Sai Baba held protests in Puttaparthi on Saturday over the alleged misuse of funds by members of the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust. The protest took place in the wake of the police filing cases after Rs 35.5 lakh in cash was nabbed while being transported illegally from Baba's residence Yajur Mandi. The devotees who took to the streets stated that they have no faith in the trust any longer.
Sathya Sai Baba's ashram Prashanthi Nilayam at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh, which had gone quiet after the death of the spiritual guru on April 24, is back in the news with the trustees finding cash of Rs 11.5 crore, 98 kgs of gold and silver articles weighing 307 kilograms from his private room. The money and valuables took 36 hours to count.
After the death of Sathya Sai Baba on April 24, many of his followers wondered why the religious leader didn't live up to the age of 96 as per his own prophecy. Shortly before his demise, Baba is believed to have told Sathyajit, his personal caregiver, "I want to leave early".
Silver and gold articles worth over Rs 76 lakh have been found during a joint inspection by government officials and Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust into a room adjoining late Sathya Sai Baba's personal chamber, the Yajur Mandir', the Trust said on Sunday.
The Andhra Pradesh police on Wednesday issued a legal notice to two Sathya Sai Baba trustees in Puttaparthi over Rs 35.5 lakh seized from a car belonging to the Sathya Sai Central Trust, which manages affairs of the late spiritual guru.
As Puttaparthi continues to be on tensed over the deteriorating health of Sathya Sai Baba, the names of his caregiver, Satyajit and his nephew R J Ratnakar are emerging as possible persons who may have a bigger say in the Satya Sai Baba Central Trust, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
News from Puttaparthi continues to be grim with the latest medical bulletin on Saturday morning stating that the condition of Sathya Sai Baba continues to be critical.
The police have managed to make some inroads into the case in which Rs 35.5 lakh went missing from the Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust. Earlier during the day, the Anantpur police had claimed that the money was being taken from Puttaparthy to Bangalore to be handed over to an unknown person.
More treasures were found on Tuesday as an inventory being made of articles inside the Poornachandra Chamber, one of the personal chambers of the late Sathya Sai Baba in Yajur Mandir, continued for the second day.
For millions of devotees he was a God. Although his life was also marked with various controversies, the faith among his devotees was not shaken up even once.
Our stand has been vindicated and the amount of Rs 34.5 lakh does belong to Prashanthi Nilayam (Sathya Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi), said Shahnawaz Kasim, deputy superintendent of police, Ananthpur district. He was speaking on the backdrop of two trustees of the Shri Sathya Sai Central Trust being questioned by the police in connection with a case in which Rs 35.5 lakh was being transported out of Puttaparthi.
The situation in the temple town of Puttaparthi is expected to be tense with a huge protest march being planned against the alleged irregularities in the Shri Sathya Sai Central trust.
Following the demise of Sathya Sai Baba, the Andhra Pradesh government, which has been in talks with the trustees at Puttaparthi, wants to ensure that the take over of the trust should be free from any controversy.
Two and a half months after his death, Sathya Sai Baba's Ashram in Puttaparthy is finding itself caught in a major storm over the alleged siphoning of the wealth left behind by the spiritual leader.
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