PUNE: The Bombay high court recently directed the charity commissioner, Mumbai, to speed up the hearing and disposal of applications filed by two city-based Osho followers over alleged corruption by trustees of the Osho International Foundation (OIF) and the Neo Sannyas Foundation.
Two Pune-based Osho followers, Yogesh Thakkar and Kishor Raval, had earlier filed applications before the charity commissioner demanding a probe into the alleged irregularities by trustees of the two foundations. Thakkar and Raval claimed the alleged irregularities were to the tune of Rs 848.97 crores. They had moved the HC against the charity commissioner for not acting on their application.
A two-member HC bench, comprising justice VL Achliya and justice Anoop V Mohta, disposed of their petition on July 29 after the assistant government pleader, representing the charity commissioner, assured the court that the complaint applications will be heard expeditiously and within six months.
In their writ petition filed in the HC in 2013, Thakkar and Raval had accused OIF trustees of illegal transfer of Osho’s intellectual property rights and copyrights outside India, to US and Switzerland. The petition also stated that the present trustees are misusing income from publication and distribution of books, production of CDs and VCDs. The petition further stated that the trustees have floated a company to “siphon and launder funds and properties of the Trust in their private kitty”.
“The present trustees are banning, restricting and harassing long time Osho disciples from entering Osho Ashram and meditating at Osho Samadhi. By restricting the entry to the Ashram they are violating the fundamental rights of the disciples,” the petition said. The petition also claimed that the trustees were “continuously causing irreparable damages” to the trust by gifting its properties to another trust in Delhi, which was floated by former trustees of the two foundations.
A source from the management of the Osho International Meditation Resort stated, “The petitioners’ interpretation of the HC order is wrong.” The source refused to comment further adding that the matter was subjudice.
Illustration by Osho News