The issue of who will take over Sri Satya Sai Baba’s `60,000-crore trust will be taken up after the Baba’s last rites are completed on Wednesday.
Sources said that the current trustees will meet after the funeral and that they will go by the “aspirations of Baba”.
While the government as well as the trustees are tight-lipped over Baba’s successor, it is being rumoured that the Baba’s key aide, Mr Sathyajeet, will play a key role and might be elevated to a top position “as desired by Baba”.
The Baba’s nephew, Mr R.J. Rathnakar, who is currently a trustee, is also in the race for a top post but apparently not many are backing him. Selecting the Baba’s successor will be a tricky affair unless the spiritual leader left behind a will, which many say is the case. Major industries minister J. Geetha Reddy, principal finance secretar L. V. Subramanyam and other senior government officials will assist the trustees.
Other than Sri Satya Sai Baba, who was the founder trustee with powers to approve projects and issue cheques, there are six other trustees including Justice P.N. Bhagawati, Mr Indulal Shah, Mr S.V. Giri, Mr V. Srinivasan and Mr R.J. Rathnakar.
The council of management of the trust include Mr K. Chakravarthi, Mr S.S. Naganand, Mr J.V. Shetty and Mr T. K. K. Bhagvat.
Apparently, some of the present trustees have offered to quit following allegations against them by Ex-TTD chairman Mr D.K. Adikeshavulu Naidu and others.
Though the total value of assets of trust has not been revealed either by the government or the trust, it is estimated to be worth around `60,000 crore spread across Andhra Pradesh, India and different parts of the world.
The state government, meanwhile, has ruled out taking over the trust stating that there have been no complaints of mismanagement till date and this was the reason that the government had exempted the trust from its purview.