Ratnakar seeks more time to respond to police notices

Denying that he had received notices from the government asking the Satya Sai Central Trust to file a comprehensive report, Trust member RJ Ratnakar said that he has asked for time till Saturday to appear before the police over the seizure of Rs 35.5 lakh which was being transported illegally.

Talking to media persons here, Mr Ratnakar said that he was seeking legal advice over the police summons, issued to him on Wednesday.

He further denied that he had received any notice by the government to file a comprehensive report about the activists of the Sathya Sai Central Trust. Mr Ratnakar added that the Trust was ready to cooperate with the government in all aspects.

Mr Ratnakar added that he was ready to offer his full cooperation with the police and has nothing to hide. He said, “We will soon clear all the doubts raised against us. We have done nothing wrong and there are no irregularities in respect of the properties under the Trust.”

Earlier, Mr Ratnakar had denied that the seized money was not connected to the Trust.

Anantapur police had on Wednesday issued notices to two members of the Satya Sai Central Trust, V Srinivasan and RJ Ratnakar, to appear before it for questioning in the case of the transfer of Rs 35.5 lakh which was intercepted at a checkpost on June 19.

It was the first time in the history of the trust any member had been summoned by the police.

The notices were issued a day after the police questioned the Chief Security Officer Pradhan of the Prashanti Nilayam, the Ashram of the late Satya Sai Baba who passed away on April 24.

Mr Pradhan had denied that he was not present on the night of June 19, when the money is believed to have been taken from the Yajur Mandir, the personal abode of the late seer.

The Rs 35.5 lakh was being transported in a van from Puttaparthi to Bangalore when it was intercepted and seized. The driver of the van, Harish Shetty was arrested. The police later took two more persons in custody, Chandrasekhar Murthy and Sohan Shetty.

The three are presently under judicial custody, till June 27.

Incidentally, the money was seized two days after the Trust members unlocked the Yajur Mandir and evaluated the treasure inside. The members had said that the Mandir had yielded Rs 11.56 crore in cash, 98 kg of gold ornaments and 307 kg silver items.

The treasure was deposited in the State Bank of India.

Earlier, the Yajur Mandir was sealed after rumours began to be aired that the valuables inside it were being looted in connivance of the Trust Members, even as the late Satya Sai Baba was undergoing treatment in the Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.

On Tuesday, Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy had told media persons that the government had already ordered the police not to bow down to any pressure and carry out a thorough investigation into the cash seizures.