MANSAS affairs’ audit a must: HC

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday made it clear that the affairs of Maharaja Alak Narayan Society of Arts and Science (MANSAS) Trust should be audited. It sought to know the objections of petitioner and MANSAS Trust chairman P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, if auditing is done.

Justice M Venkataramana heard the petition field by Raju seeking suspension of the GO 75 through which members of the trust board were appointed. Raju also sought the HC directions to suspend the proceedings of the trust executive officer to convene a meeting of the trust board. He also urged the High Court to issue directions to the EO to follow his instructions.

Arguing on behalf of the petitioner, senior advocate DV Sitarama Murthy said the High Court had earlier struck down the GO issued by the State government appointing Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju as chairperson of MANSAS Trust. With the High Court order, the trust board appointed then is no more existent, he said.

Sitarama Murthy further informed the court that the EO was not acting according to the instructions of the MANSAS chairman and had frozen the bank accounts by which the trust was not in a position to pay salaries to the staff of educational institutions run by it. Justice Venkataramana asked as to whether the EO was working to serve the interests of the trust or otherwise. 

‘Audit will bring accountability in trust affairs’

Additional Adovocate general G P Sudhakar Reddy said the EO was functioning in accordance with law and all the decisions regarding the trust should be taken by the board of trustees and the chairman could not take unilateral decisions. Intervening, Murthy told the court that the government was acting in a vindictive manner and had constituted several committees to look into the affairs of the trust. The government is also conducting a special audit even as regular audit of accounts is going on, he informed the court.

The Judge said the committee constituted by the government should be allowed to do its job and asked as to when the last audit was held. Sudhakar Reddy informed the court that the last audit was held in 2004.
Seeking to know as to why the petitioner sought an urgent hearing when the GO constituting members of the trust was issued in March last year, Justice Venkataramana said the audit should continue and this would bring accountability in the trust affairs. He said the court could not issue any order suspending the GO issued by the government constituting the trust board members and asked the government to file its counter.

The Judge directed the EO not to interfere in the affairs of educational institutions run by the trust and also stayed the order of the EO to freeze the trust bank accounts.The court also issued interim orders staying the proceedings of the EO to convene a meeting of the trust board members and posted the matter to August 23 for further hearing.