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Chandigarh: Decks cleared for Haryana to take control of Yoga Guru Dhirendra Brahmchari’s Trust
The Aparna Institution (Taking over of management and control) Bill, 2025 passed by the state assembly on March 28, 2025 and reserved for the consideration of the President was notified as a law on November 20 by the state government following a Presidential assent
Decks have been cleared for Haryana government for taking over the management and control of deceased Yoga Guru Dhirendra Brahmchari’s Aparna Ashram Society in Gurugram.
The Aparna Institution (Taking over of management and control) Bill, 2025 passed by the state assembly on March 28, 2025 and reserved for the consideration of the President was notified as a law on November 20 by the state government following a Presidential assent.
The then governor Bandaru Dattatraya had reserved the Bill passed by the state assembly for the consideration of the President. The Presidential assent in terms of Article 201 of the Constitution was granted for the Bill on August 27 thus enabling it to become a law.
The enactment will facilitate takeover of the management, control and possession of the property of the Society for a period of 10 years and a maximum of 15 years. An administrator will be appointed to carry on the management of the institution for and on behalf of the state government
The state government had in March 2025 introduced the Bill to take over the management and control of the Society in view of the two-decade long litigations between members of the Society. The government take-over would entail wresting control of a high-valued and contentious piece of about 24 acres in Gurugram’s Silokhra village (Sector 30). The tract was at the center of a controversy after it was sold at throwaway prices to private companies in December 2020 by the purported authorised representatives of the Society.
A May 30, 2024 move of the state government to transfer the ownership of about 24 acres of Gurugram land in government’s name (vide mutation number 1949) following May 29, 2024 orders of a single bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court came to naught in July 2024 after a division bench set aside the single bench’s order as well as the action taken by the state government in terms of impugned orders.
Justification for enactment of law to take over assets
As per the justification taken by the state government for enacting a legislation to take over the management and control of the Society, the disputing groups of the Society who were involved in multiple litigations were illegally and unauthorisedly trying to sell 24 acres in Gurugram for their personal gains. “There is every likelihood that the moveable and immoveable properties of the institution may get destroyed which will frustrate the very purpose with which the institution was created. Therefore, for the management, administration, control and regulating the activities of the institution, it is expedient in the public interest to take over the management and control to achieve the aims and objectives of the institution and to fulfil the wish and will of Yoga guru,’’ said the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill outlining the rationale for taking over the control of the Society.
Spiritual Yoga Guru, Swami Dhirendra Brahmchari, who was also an instructor to former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi incorporated and registered a Society under the name and style of Aparna Ashram in 1973-74 under the Societies Registration Act with the Registrar of Societies, south-east district, New Delhi for dissemination of knowledge of Yoga among the masses through education, research, training and dissemination.
Brahmchari also created an institution namely Aparna as a separate entity through an instrument of memorandum of institution and constituted its independent governing council consisting of four members including himself for carrying out the aims and objectives of the institution. The aims and objectives enumerated under the memorandum of institution empowered the institution to acquire, purchase, or own any movable or immovable property for establishing Yoga ashram, guest houses, carrying out agricultural, dairy farming, gardening, plantation, building health resorts. The Society was made for the benefit of the public at large and came to be defined as a public trust, the Bill reads.
For setting up the institution, Brahmchari purchased about 24 acres in Silokhra village of Gurgaon in the name of Aparna Ashram with the help of donations, grants and financial assistance received by him from time to time from the central government and vested the said land in the institution, officials said.
Thereafter, various buildings were constructed over the Silokhra land and various Yoga related activities were started there. The Bill said that after Brahmchari died in a plane crash in June, 1994, the Society got divided in two groups, one led by Laxman Chaudhary and the other led by Murali Chaudhry. Later, Murli Chaudhry removed one Subhash Dutt and KS Pathania of his group from the primary membership of the Society and these persons formed a group. From time to time, these groups enrolled persons of their confidence to increase their majority.
A controversy broke out in December 2020 when a sale deed for 24 acres in Silokhra village of Gurugram was registered by the naib tehsildar, Wazirabad for a mere ₹55 crore. Subsequently, a red flag was raised by the legal representative of the Ashram, Surya Prakash, following which an inquiry was ordered by the state government.
Officials said that it was found in the inquiry that not only the land was sold by the members of the society to three companies at a highly undervalued price, the sale deed was executed manually by skipping the electronic appointment process.
“On the basis of a memorandum of understanding for reaching an agreed price, it is beyond doubt that the agreed price of the land of Aparna Ashram was ₹12 crore per acre which worked out to be ₹288 crore for 24 acres. Hence, the sale deed of ₹55 crore is grossly undervalued,” said a 2021 communication sent by revenue department to Gurgaon deputy commissioner.
The sale deed was then cancelled by Gurgaon deputy commissioner. The cancellation order was challenged by the Society before the Punjab and Haryana high court. But it did not get any relief.
Who was Dhirendra Brahmchari
The spiritual Yoga Guru who was an instructor to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was known as an influencer in the decision-making process of the central government under Gandhi. He opened a number of Yoga training institutes in Jammu, New Delhi, benefitting from his proximity to the late Prime Minister in getting prime pieces of land. Brahmchari was accused of smuggling an aircraft from the United States during the imposition of Emergency without paying the custom duty. He was also at the centre of a controversy for allegedly importing gun parts illegally from Spain for his arms factory. Known as Flying Swami, he died in a plane crash in 1994.
