The Sathya Sai Trust mini-empire is crumbling

Striking resignations tell their story: As reported yesterday, the Head of Sai Baba’s Super-speciality Hospital in Puttaparthi, Dr. Safaya and also several other doctors there have indicated their coming resignations. Today comes the further Indian Express report that Indulal Shah has “distanced himself from the Trust while Trust Secretary, former IAS officer K Chakravarthi, has indicated to other trustees about quitting.” To quit the sinking ship of the Sai Central Trust at this stage may help save their already shaky reputations. However, both have been involved in the huge irregularities and especially for their failure in duty of care. Both have gone along with the non-investigation and cover-up of the many sexual abuses of which Sathya Sai Baba was accused worldwide.

The Trust secretary Chackravathi has (according to our sources) offered to stay till alternate arrangements are made and he would brief the incoming secretary and officially hand over all records, before leaving. Chackravathi is referred to as a “retired IAS official”, when in fact he was forced to leave the service (Indian Administrative Service) due to embezzlement (I received this information in 1997 from an IAS Vigilance Officer, Mr. V. Ramnath). Chackravathi was, like others appointed by Sai Baba to run his affairs, was chosen to head the Rayalaseems water project (largely bungled due to kickbacks, contractor swindle, embezzlement and eventually had to be taken over by the Andhra Pradesh government).

See?Former International Chairman of the Sathya Sai Organization and its original founder, Indulal Shah, has a particularly bad record in having told the press after the 1993 police executions in Sai Baba’s bedroom that it was none of their business. Questioned by the press concerning the June 6, 1993 police killings – where the evidence overwhelmingly shows that Sai Baba stood by, having all the time and the absolute authority to act, but did nothing to stop the slayings – Indulal Shah is reported as saying, “the matter is purely internal and we do not wish to have any law enforcement agency investigating into it.” (The Hindu, June 10, 1993). In the event, the confusion spread wilfully by all involved helped slow and derail the process of investigation and the CBI work was hampered and eventually quashed at the governmental level. See review of the 1993 murders issue here

Already 10 years ago, a very succinct appraisal of how the Sathya Sai Central Trust works was posted by a former security officer at Prashanthi Nilayam, Mr. Hari Sampath. This can now be read with fresh eyes – see here.

More on the reasons for Sathya Sai Baba’s hoarding and proven mistrust of his own Sai Trust to come shortly in another blog.

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