Trust yet to appoint Sai Baba's successor

Lily

B.R
Staff member
Puttaparthy: The much revered spiritual leader Satya Sai Baba did not leave behind any will or nominate anybody as his successor, the Sathya Sai Central Trust declared yesterday.

The all-powerful trust, comprised of several eminent personalities from various fields, yesterday appeared before the media for the first time since the passing away of Sai Baba, only to declare that it had not yet decided who would succeed Sai Baba as the chairman of the trust.

At the same time the trust has also categorically stated that Sai Baba's personal attendant Satyajit would not be considered as he was only an employee of the trust, handpicked by Sai Baba to serve him.

Elaborate vedic rituals

A day after Satya Sai Baba was interred at his Ashram with elaborate vedic rituals, the trust vowed to continue with Baba's legacy of charity and service to the humanity.

Venu Srinivasan, top industrialist and a member of the trust told a crowded press conference at the Sathya Sai Indoor stadium at this Ashram town yesterday that the trust and council of management would meet in a week to decide who will be the next chairman of the trust.

"There is no will of Baba as far as we know," he said.

Srinivasan made it clear that there were no intentions to induct Satyajit into the trust as Sai Baba had never expressed any such wish to them.

"Satyajit is a former student of the Satya Sai university chosen by Bhagwan to serve him," he said.

No differences

R.J. Ratnakar, Sai Baba's nephew and a new trustee, dismissed rumours of differences within the trust and discord between him and Satyajit. "We have a cordial relationship," he said. He strongly disapproved of unfounded reports carried by a section of the media about alleged irregularities and negligence concerning Sai Baba's health.

He said the necessary legal action was being taken as regards such reports.

Board members were especially upset about the controversy surrounding the ordering a glass casket for Sai Baba's body.

Reacting to the reports that the casket was ordered on April 5, almost three weeks before Baba's death, Srinivasan said that the Trust had not ordered it.

"It might have been ordered by some devotee," Srinivasan said.

Trustees also issued the details of various assets held under the trust but did not give any market value of the same. Stressing that the value of Rs400 billion (Dh32.7 billion) in the media was highly exaggerated, Nagananda, another trust member and leading lawyer from Bengaluru said: "The market value is subjective."

He said that all the properties and assets of the trust were only for the charitable purposes.

"No property of the trust was available for sale or commercial exploitation," he said.

Trust members who were present at the press conference include P.N. Bhagwati, former Chief Justice of India; S.V. Giri, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner; Indulal Shah, industrialist from Mumbai; and K. Chakravathi, secretary of the trust.

 
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