There is still no official word on who will control the reins of the multi-crore Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, which was chaired by Sathya Sai Baba.
Sai Baba’s nephew RJ Ratnakar and his personal aide Satyajit are believed to be the frontrunners for the post of the next chairman of the Rs40,000 crore trust.
The name of the trust member secretary, A Chakravarti, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, is also doing the rounds. Denying reports of infighting within the trust, Geetha Reddy, major industries minister, Andhra Pradesh, and an ardent devotee of Baba, said: “Not all the trust members are present here. And those present appear to be on same platform.”
The succession battle began as the SSSCT faced a smear campaign with allegations of misappropriation of funds.
It gained momentum after the names of Ratnakar and Satyajit were projected by Sai Baba’s family and a section of the SSSCT.
In a statement issued soon after Sai Baba fell ill, the trust had said: "Institutions like schools, university, hospitals and other organisations are run by respective trusts. There is or will be no vacuum. The interests of the institutions are paramount."