16-member board is headed by NCP and Congress leaders, allege petitioners.
People in Shirdi expressed happiness as the Aurangabad bench of the Mumbai high court dissolved the 16-member trust board of Shirdi Sai Sansthan Trust on Tuesday.
Giving its verdict on an PIL filed by Sandeep Kulkarni and Rajendra Gondkar from Shirdi, the bench stated that the present trust board be dissolved and new trustees be appointed within 15 days. The Ahmednagar collector has been asked to oversee the matters of the trust till then.
The present board is a committee of 16 trustees who were appointed in 2004. According to the constitution of the trust, the term of a board is for three years.
The 16 members got extension to second term in 2007. This term was over and now the same members are representing the trust for seven years.
Among the trustees are former MLA Jayant Sasane as chairman, former minister Shankarrao Kolhe as vice chairman, other 14 members as trustees are agriculture minister Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil, Pandurang Abhang and Suresh Wabale from Ahmednagar; Urmila Jadhav from Solapur; Shailesh Kute and KC Pande from Nashik; Sami Khatib, Rimple Lohiya, RJ Karnik, Capt Suresh Vasudeva and cardiologist Dr Pyarelal Tiwari from Mumbai; Alka Shejwal from Rahata; Ashok Khambekar from Kopargaon and Dr Eknath Gondkar from Shirdi.
While eight from the above members are affiliated to Congress, others are affiliated to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The chairman belongs to the Congress, while the vice chairman is from NCP. The state government appoints the trustees.
Citizens of Shirdi, who were demanding a change in the trust board for a long time, celebrated the verdict by bursting crackers and distributing sweets on Tuesday. There have been repeated allegations of misappropriation of the trust funds.
It was only on March 2, 2012 when the Rahata court ordered the Shirdi police to initiate an enquiry against three trustees for alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs1.67 lakh against fake transport bills.
“We are not fighting against anyone personally but against the wrong tendencies.” Kulkarni said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}