Trustees spar after Moga godman’s death

Tribune News Service

Moga, December 23

A dispute has erupted over the re-organisation of a Trust and the controversial will signed by Swami Sehaj Prakash, religious head of Geeta Bhawan Trust, Moga, and Pawan Dhaam Ashram, Haridwar, just a few days after his death early this month.

Vijay Kumar Sood (80), one of the founder trustees of Geeta Bhawan School run by the Trust, alleged that the trust-owned properties at Haridwar, Moga and New Delhi worth Rs 1,000 crore were illegally grabbed by Sehaj Prakash by forging the will of late Swami Vedanta Nand, a saint who passed away in 2011. The Geeta Bhawan Trust was founded by Sood’s father around seven decades ago.

A criminal and civil case with regard to the dispute of the Trust’s property and administrative management was pending in the judicial court here. In the criminal case, charges have already been framed against Sehaj Prakash and five other trustees, but the High Court had stayed the proceedings till further orders. The civil case was still pending under judicial purview.

On November 2, just a few days before his death, Prakash signed a will that his disciples Sadhvi Tripta Saraswati and Sadhvi Sukhjit Saraswati would become the “owners in possession of all my movable and immovable properties situated anywhere in India, bank balance, gold, cash, etc only for religious purposes and for the welfare of Geeta Bhawan Trust and Pawan Dhaam Ashram”.

Earlier, contrary to the will, Prakash had reconstituted the Geeta Bhawan Trust on July 18, 2020, by himself becoming the president with seven other members.

On November 14, Prakash passed away while fighting a prolonged illness. Now, Vijay Sood and a section of the trustees have demanded, in public interest, from District Magistrate Sandeep Hans to appoint a magistrate as a ‘receiver’ to look after the properties of Geeta Bhawan Trust and Pawan Dhaam Ashram till a final decision is reached in the case regarding the ‘confirmation’ of the religious Trust.

Will ‘controversial’

On November 2, just a few days before his death, Sehaj Prakash, religious head of Geeta Bhawan Trust, Moga, and Pawan Dhaam Ashram, Haridwar, had signed a ‘controversial’ will. One of the trustees of Geeta Bhawan School alleged that the trust-owned properties were illegally grabbed by Sehaj Prakash.