HC vacates stay on auctioning trust properties of Swamiji

Madurai, July 12 (UNI) The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has vacated the interim stay on auctioning the properties of 'godman' Premananda, undergoing double sentence for rape and murder for default in filing IT returns.

Mr Justice M E N Patrudu vacated the stay yesterday on a petition from the Income Tax Department, enabling to realise the IT arrears to the tune of Rs 9.78 crore.

The Judge further said the main petition of the defendant would be taken up for hearing within two weeks.

On March 23, the Court had granted the interim stay on a plea from Damayanthi Mataji, Executive Trustee of the Premananda Trust.

Premananda, a self-styled godman of Sri Lankan origin, who landed here in the aftermath of the ethnic war in the island nation in 1983, established an ashram in Pudukottai district.

Schools and orphanages were set up by the Premananda Trust with liberal donations from the huge following for the swamiji abroad.

In 1994, he was arrested on charges of sexually abusing the ashram girls and being involved in the murder of an in-house engineer. Subsequently, he was awarded a double life sentence by the Pudukottai Sessions Court, which was confirmed by the High Court in 2002. Later, it was upheld by the Apex court also.

The Mataji, in her plea had submitted that the Trust, launched in 1994, was engaged in social and spiritual mission and cases were foisted on the swamiji due to vested interests.

Following his arrest, the IT sleuths raided the Ashram premises and had taken away documents and the swamiji, who was in jail, was served a notice by the IT Department. In his response, Premananda had submitted that he need not pay income tax as he was incarcerated.

Meanwhile, in 1997, he was removed from the Trust and she was elevated as Executive Trustee. Instead of approaching her, the IT Department had issued a notice to the swamiji to file the returns.

Challenging this, a case was filed in the High Court, which granted a conditional stay if 50 per cent of the returns was paid.

Since the amount was not paid, the IT Department had proceeded to auction the properties, which would affect the life of hundreds of orphans and school students being maintained by the Trust, Damayanti Mataji submitted then.

UNI CR ROY DKB RK1040