It was while hearing a PIL filed by Sandeep Kulkarni and Rajendra Gondkar of Shirdi that the HC bench ordered the appointment of new trustees within 15 days.
After the numerous charges of misappropriation of funds levelled against members of the Shirdi Sai Sansthan Trust, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday dissolved the trust’s 16-member board — a verdict Nashik residents celebrated with crackers and distributing sweets.
It was while hearing a PIL filed by Sandeep Kulkarni and Rajendra Gondkar of Shirdi that the HC bench ordered the appointment of new trustees within 15 days. The Ahmednagar collector has been asked to oversee trust matters until then.
Though the constitution of the trust specifies the board’s term for three years, the 16 trustees appointed in 2004 managed to get an extension for a second term in 2007. With this term over too, the same members had been representing the trust for seven years now. Among the trustees are former MLA Jayant Sasane (chairman), former minister Shankarrao Kolhe (vice-chairman).
The other 14 trust members are state agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Pandurang Abhang, Suresh Wabale (all from Ahmednagar), Urmila Jadhav from Solapur, Shailesh Kute and KC Pande from Nashik, Sami Khatib, Rimple Lohiya, RJ Karnik, Capt Suresh Vasudeva, cardiologist Dr Pyarelal Tiwari (all from Mumbai), Alka Shejwal from Rahata, Ashok Khambekar from Kopargaon and Dr Eknath Gondkar from Shirdi. Eight of the above members are affiliated to the Congress, while others are linked to the NCP. The appointment of the trustees is done by the state government.
While petitioner Kulkarni and Godnkar said they were forced to file a PIL as the trustees had exceeded their second term using loopholes in the constitution, the incumbent chairman claimed to have worked for the betterment of devotees. However, Gondkar contended it, saying the trust was ruled by politicians affiliated to ruling parties and that none of them is a member of the Sai Bhakt Mandal. “They are no Sai devotees, but have held on to the post only for its grandeur.”
At a press conference later in the day, ousted chairman MLA Sasane accepted the court ruling, saying “We do not see the verdict as against the trust board and agree to handover charge to the new trust.”
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