Retired judge to manage Sai Baba Temple affairs amidst allegations of irregularities

The Delhi high court has appointed one of its former judges as an administrator to manage the affairs of the Sai Baba Temple at Lodi Road here, whose administration is facing allegations of irregularities and illegalities.

The court said it has become imperative to take away the reins of management of the Shri Sai Bhakta Samaj, the society which manages the temple, from the incumbent officebearers so that they may also feel the urgency of conducting fresh elections to the managing committee.

However, the administrator shall not make any financial commitments which involves financial outflow of more than `10 lakh without prior approval of the court

The high court appointed retired justice Pratibha Rani pro-tem as administrator to take over, manage, and administer the affairs of the Samaj, including taking policy decisions as well as supervising and managing the routine dayto-day matters of the Samaj. However, it made it clear that the administrator shall neither take any policy decisions nor make any financial commitments, for or on behalf of the Samaj, which involves a financial outflow of more than `10 lakh without prior approval of this court.

The interim order, which was passed in August, has been made available now. The court was hearing a petition filed by several life-members of the Samaj and members of the managing committee alleging grave irregularities, illegalities, and mismanagement in the administration of the affairs of the society and its failure to hold elections.

It said all powers of the incumbent managing committee members/officebearers shall stand suspended until further orders and added that the administrator shall devise a method to ensure proper collection, accounting, retention and deposit of ‘cash’ offerings and donations that are received at the temple or in the Samaj so that “there is no diversion or siphoning off of such monies.”

The court said the elections of the managing committee of the Samaj shall be conducted on the basis of the last approved members’ list comprising 622 members, on the basis of which the last elections were conducted in 2006.