Twitter
Advertisement

Battle looms for control of Sathya Sai Baba’s Rs50,000 crore empire

Following Baba’s death on Sunday, the wrangling within the Sathya Sai Central Trust over the assets controlled by it may take an ugly turn.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Who will acquire control of Sathya Sai Baba’s estimated Rs50,000 crore spiritual empire? Following Baba’s death on Sunday, the wrangling within the Sathya Sai Central Trust over the assets controlled by it may take an ugly turn.

A source said the tussle is turning into an insider versus outsider battle. Baba’s family members are keen to have greater control over the trust, with his brother Janakiramaiah’s son RJ Ratnakar favouring an overhaul. The ‘outsiders’ are, however, pressing for the existing structure to continue.

There are several eminent personalities on the trust, including former chief justice of India PN Bhagwati, former central vigilance commissioner SV Giri, chartered accountant Indulal Shah, Venu Srinivasan of the TVS Group, former bureaucrat A Chakravarti and Ratnakar. All were appointed by Baba who, however, did not name a successor.

While the family members are trying to cut trust secretary Chakravarti to size, Satyajit, who was Baba’s caretaker for several years, is keen to get on to the trust with more powers. According to a source, Baba had promised Satyajit a prominent position in the trust.

The Andhra Pradesh government maintained that it had no plan to take over the trust. The trust has built properties in various parts of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement