’No one can replace Sathya Sai Baba’

Members say there will be no chairman to head the Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust; management will discuss issues and arrive at a mutual conclusion

'No one can replace Sathya Sai Baba'

Members say there will be no chairman to head the Sathya Sai Baba Central Trust; management will discuss issues and arrive at a mutual conclusion

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Putting speculation about who'll be the successor of the late godman at rest, the Sathya Sai Baba Central Trustu00a0 declared that there will be no chairman of the organisation.

S S Naganand, member of the council of management of the trust, speaking exclusively to MiD Day, said that there is no need to have a chairman right now.

"The position of a chairman is quite ornamental. Besides, it is highly inconsequential at the moment. Hence, there will be no chairman, and the trust will discuss the issues that come up and will arrive at a mutual conclusion," he said.

The management that comprises of nine members five trustees and four members of the council will carry forward the activities.

Denying that any will has been left behind, he added that Sathya Sai didn't consider anyone to be his family and didn't possess any assets that could have necessitated a will.

"Baba renounced his elder brother on October 12, 1940 at the age of 14. He didn't even attend his mother's last rites. Further, the trust handled all the financial transactions and hence there was no need for a will," he said.

No substitute
When asked the reason for not appointing someone to head the organisation, he replied, "No one can replace Baba. Besides, the management is competent enough to decide on crucial issues."

While many devotees are questioning Satyajit's position amidst speculations that the trust is now trying to downplay his role, the management clarified that they are not questioning his devotion, but made it clear that he won't have anything to do with the trust either.

'Satyajit was paid'
"Some students from Baba's higher education institutions expressed willingness to serve him even after they have passed out. Satyajit was one of them. Such students were assigned different jobs and were paid a salary.
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Satyajit was supposed to assist the central accounts department and he was paid a reasonable salary to make his living. He was never in the running to be the chairman," Naganand revealed.

Clarifying the reason in delay in providing medical treatment to Baba, former chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry and one of the trustees Venu Srinivasan said, "Sathya Sai Baba himself chose the doctors and interacted with them.

He had not taken any of the trust members into confidence while choosing his doctors. Besides, all the health bulletins were made public on a daily basis."

Just a rumour?
Amidst rumuors of the glass casket being ordered by the trust two weeks before Baba passed away on April 24, the management disagreed with the hearsay.

"We have not ordered any glass casket. Devotees who want to serve in any way possible sent us different things. One such devotee sent us the glass casket. We don't have anything to do with it," said one of the trustees.

However, many devotees are now waiting to see whether a chairman would indeed be chosen after 11 days of the last rites, as speculated.

Health report
Janardhana Reddy, district collector of Ananthapur, said that the government has filed its report to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding the medical condition of Sathya Sai Baba.

"The report was filed following the directives specified by the NHRC. As I wasn't a respondent, I don't have details in this regard. However, I do know that now the NHRC will have to respond on that report," said Reddy.
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High Court Advocate Kommireddy Azad had earlier filed a petition with the NHRC seeking to get details about Baba's health so that his devotees could be reassured.

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