All money accounted for, says Sathya Sai trustee
SSSCT Trustee V Srinivasan, addressing a press conference here, said the trust has filed all statutory returns and donations received from devotees have been duly deposited to banks in a transparent manner.
He said the trust has already paid Rs 9.75 crore as income tax without any demand by the concerned authorities and decided to pay necessary tax on all its inventories.
On the seizure of over Rs 35 lakh in cash from a vehicle in Puttaparthi town, he said the trust had appointed a consultant for construction of a "Maha Samadhi" as a memorial for Satya Sai Baba and the amount offered by a devotee was handed over to the consultant for the project.
"The trust has no connection with it. The cash was not recovered from any trustee. The vehicle from which the money was recovered does not belong to the trust," Srinivasan said.
He said the consultant has already explained to the police that the money was given for the Maha Samadhi project.
"Since the trust is not going to implement the project, the money was handed over to the project consultant. All information sought by police are being given," he said.
Srinivasan said that Yajurveda Mandiram in Puttaparthy Prashanthi Nilayam, the personal abode of departed Sathya Sai Baba was opened on June 16 and detailed inventory of cash, valuables was taken, which was duly signed and deposited with the State Bank of India for safe-keeping.
The board of trustees met yesterday and took decision to pay income tax on the value of inventory obtained. Rs 9.75 crore was paid towards income tax and the balance amount, if any, will be paid after receipt of detail valuation report of jewellery, he said.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday had issued an ultimatum to the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, the administrative body that manages the Rs 40,000 crore empire of the late spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba. The Trust has been asked to furnish information on its activities, revenues and assets within 10 days.
"In the light of the doubts expressed on certain aspects of the functioning of the Trust, it was felt that it was essential to bring out the facts transparently for public knowledge," said a government press release.
Trust secretary K Chakravarthi, a former IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, was asked to provide details about the late spiritual guru's vast empire — the Trust's organisational set up, list of members, their addresses, background, contact numbers and other relevant details, senior officials said.
The government also wanted details on the Trust's fixed assets, major sources of funds, broad expenditure heads and annual accounts for the last five years.
Chakravarthi could not be reached for his reactions on the government move.
The development comes two months after the demise of the spiritual guru on April 24. The trust has been facing a series of allegations since his death.
The seizure of Rs 35.5 lakh — that was being transported out of the Prashanti Nilayam Ashram — on June 19 prompted the state government to intervene.
The driver of the car, Shekhar, told police that two Trust members, RJ Ratnakar and V Srinivasan, had directed him to take the cash to Bangalore.
While the police interrogated Ratnakar, who is Sai Baba's nephew, on Saturday, Srinivasan was grilled in Puttaparthi town on Monday.
Srinivasan met Trust officials before proceeding to the Sathya Sai deemed university building, where the policemen were waiting for him. The questioning lasted more than six hours.
All money accounted for, says Sathya Sai trustee
