<p> Moving swiftly to meet a court deadline, the Maharashtra government has appointed a new board of trustees for a trust that manages the reverred Shirdi Sai Baba temple here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The new panel replaces the old set, sacked earlier this month, an official said Wednesday.<br /><br />The Bombay High Court had set a Wednesday deadline for forming the new Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) board. It is ranked among the top five richest religious trusts in India with assets worth nearly Rs.20 billion. <br /><br />Veteran Congress member Jayant Sasane, who was chairman in the outgoing board, has made a comeback to the post for another three years. Two other trustees have also been retained.<br /><br />The other trustees include Ghanshyam Shelar, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Surendra Kharde, Rajendra Pipada, Snehalata Kolhe, Ajit Kadam, Patingrao Shelke, Minnath Pandey, Namdeo Gunjal, Sumitra Kote, Suresh Wadhwa and Vilas Kute.<br /><br />The other three names are likely to be announced shortly, an official from SSST said.<br />On March 13, the Bombay High Court's Aurangabad bench sacked the 18 members of the Shirdi-based SSST, jolting the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party controlled body.<br />Judges Naresh Patil and T.V. Nalawade warned that unless the government appointed a new committee in 15 days, the court would hand over the SSST management to court-appointed administrators.<br /><br />The order followed a public suit by social activist Sandeep Kulkarni who alleged that the SSST managing committee misappropriated funds worth Rs.2 billion.<br /><br />The outgoing SSST managing committee's three-year tenure expired in 2007. But the government did not appoint a new one, allowing the trustees to continue with annual extensions, Kulkarni said.<br /><br />The SSST is the governing and administrative body of the Shri Saibaba temple and all other temples in the premises. The temples reportedly collect around Rs.12.50 million a day in offerings and donations.</p>
<p> Moving swiftly to meet a court deadline, the Maharashtra government has appointed a new board of trustees for a trust that manages the reverred Shirdi Sai Baba temple here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The new panel replaces the old set, sacked earlier this month, an official said Wednesday.<br /><br />The Bombay High Court had set a Wednesday deadline for forming the new Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) board. It is ranked among the top five richest religious trusts in India with assets worth nearly Rs.20 billion. <br /><br />Veteran Congress member Jayant Sasane, who was chairman in the outgoing board, has made a comeback to the post for another three years. Two other trustees have also been retained.<br /><br />The other trustees include Ghanshyam Shelar, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Surendra Kharde, Rajendra Pipada, Snehalata Kolhe, Ajit Kadam, Patingrao Shelke, Minnath Pandey, Namdeo Gunjal, Sumitra Kote, Suresh Wadhwa and Vilas Kute.<br /><br />The other three names are likely to be announced shortly, an official from SSST said.<br />On March 13, the Bombay High Court's Aurangabad bench sacked the 18 members of the Shirdi-based SSST, jolting the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party controlled body.<br />Judges Naresh Patil and T.V. Nalawade warned that unless the government appointed a new committee in 15 days, the court would hand over the SSST management to court-appointed administrators.<br /><br />The order followed a public suit by social activist Sandeep Kulkarni who alleged that the SSST managing committee misappropriated funds worth Rs.2 billion.<br /><br />The outgoing SSST managing committee's three-year tenure expired in 2007. But the government did not appoint a new one, allowing the trustees to continue with annual extensions, Kulkarni said.<br /><br />The SSST is the governing and administrative body of the Shri Saibaba temple and all other temples in the premises. The temples reportedly collect around Rs.12.50 million a day in offerings and donations.</p>