Pune: Court Dismisses Case Against Former Trustees of Shri Sadguru Shankar Maharaj Trust
Pune: The First Class Magistrate (PMC) Court has dismissed a criminal case filed in 2016 against the former trustees of the Shri Sadguru Shankar Maharaj Samadhi Trust, located in Dhankawadi, Pune.
On January 30, 2016, the Pune Municipal Corporation granted permission for repairs to a building owned by the trust. However, during the repair work, the old structure collapsed, and a new structure of identical size and area was constructed in its place.
A third party objected to this construction and filed a complaint with the Charity Commissioner, which was subsequently rejected. The trust then submitted a proposal for regularisation of the construction through a certified architect, which was approved in January 2017. At that time, the PMC notified Sahakarnagar Police Station in writing that the earlier complaint had been withdrawn.
The court observed that since the construction was regularised by a competent authority, no criminal offense stands. It also noted that under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, the statutory sanction required to proceed with a prosecution was not available.
The case was effectively argued by Adv. Siddhant Malegaonkar, Adv. Chetan Rakshe, and Adv. Prashik Rakshe on behalf of the trust.
