The Revenue Department has slapped a whopping ₹4 crore fine on the Shri Saibaba Sansthan (trust) for allegedly defaulting on revenue dues on a portion of land dating to the times of the British Raj.
Speaking to The Hindu , Shirdi Sub-Divisional Officer Kundan Sonawane confirmed that his office had sent the notice to the Saibaba Sansthan Trust.
According to Mr. Sonawane, the disputed land of 27 gunthas (less than one acre) was acquired by some of the devotees on rent near the temple complex premises during colonial times.
While the land belonged to the State, the devotees had either given it to the trust or sold it off a few years after Saint Sai Baba died in 1918.
Violation of rules
“A few years after Sai Baba’s ‘Mahasamadhi’ in 1918, these devotees either donated or sold it off without due permission from the State. The land in question encompasses the iconic Dikshit wada, the Lendi Baug [the garden created and watered by Sai Baba himself] and the museum. So, we have sent the notice to the Sai Baba trust to legalise the possession of this land by paying back the revenue due to the government,” Mr. Sonawane said.
He informed that the nebulous ownership of the disputed land was unearthed by local journalist Pramod Aher while the latter was researching his book ‘Shirdi Gazeteer: untold stories’. Mr. Aher then brought the matter to the attention of Revenue Department.
Legal probe likely
Mr. Sonawane further said that if the trust failed to clarify the matter within a week, a legal probe would be initiated into the affair.
Officials at the trust could not be reached for comment.
The trust will celebrate the centenary year of the saint’s ‘Mahasamadhi’ from October 1 this year to October 18, 2018.
