The office of the Joint Charity Commissioner in Mumbai has rejected an application from the Osho International Foundation (OIF), which runs the Osho International Meditation Resort, to sell two plots of prime land in Koregaon Park area of Pune following objections from a rebel faction of Osho disciples.
The Charity Commissioner’s office in a December 7 order has also asked OIF to return ₹50 crores it has taken as the first part payment from industrialist Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj and Rishab family trust, which The OIF had sought permission to sell the two plots of land measuring around 9,800 square metre and located inside the Osho International Meditation Resort – formerly known as Osho Ashram – for Rs 107 crore to a trust belonging to industrialist Rahul Bajaj’s family.
The rebel faction of disciples had protested this move, accusing the OIF trustees of trying to cause damage to the legacy of their spiritual guru. Denying permission for the deal, Joint Charity Commissioner R U Malvankar in an order passed on December 7 directed the OIF “to refund the earnest amount of Rs 50 crore received from Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj and Rishab Family Trust without interest”.
“The past record of OIF shows that the trustees are habitually dealing with the properties of the Trust. They are not serious with the funds and income of the Trust. They are making hasty decisions without taking any expert advice which are having long-term repercussions on the future financial independence of OIF as well as NSF (Neo Sanyas Foundation),” Malvankar said in her order. “The sentiments of millions of disciples and Osho devotees are attached with OIF and NSF, Osho Samadhi and the overall property in question, which is surrounding Osho Samadhi.”
Malvankar also ordered an audit of the OIF accounts from 2005 to 2023 by a team of two special auditors.
“The trustees, managers and/or any other person looking after the accounts of OIF shall make available all the records and Books of Accounts, Receipt Books, Vouchers, Ledgers etc. to the Special Auditors during the said period and shall cooperate with the Auditors in all respects. The Special Auditors shall submit their consolidated report to this Authority within a period of six months from the date of their appointment,” the order said.
Confirming that the application to sell the land has been rejected, Osho Resort spokesperson Amrit Sadhana told The Indian Express, “We will follow the legal process in the matter.” The spokesperson refused to comment any further.
Hemant Malik, a disciple from the rebel faction, said the OIF filed its application to sell the two land plots with the Joint Charity Commissioner’s Office in December 2020. “By March 2021, 27 of us filed objections before the Joint Charity Commissioner,” he said.
Yogesh Thakkar, who was among those who filed the objections, said, “We, the rebel group, have succeeded in bringing to a halt an attempt made by the Osho International Foundation to wreck the legacy of our guru by trying to sell two crucial plots of land which are properties of the Osho Ashram. We have fought hard to preserve our guru’s legacy… It is a big moment for all of us.”
“We have won a major battle… Osho disciples all over the world are extremely pleased at this development… I have been getting calls from all over the world. They all want to come to Osho Ashram and enjoy the atmosphere here once again,” said Swami Chaitanya Keerti, one of the intervenors.
Advocate Vaibhav Metha, who represented the rebel faction, said that apart from those who filed objections before the Charity Commissioner, around “12,000 disciples also raised objection online”.
He said the rebel faction sought cross-examination during the hearing. “The OIF objected to it. The Joint Charity Commissioner’s office upheld our plea. The OIF moved the Bombay High Court which too upheld the direction for cross-examination. The OIF then moved the Supreme Court which ordered a time-bound hearing and cross-examination,” Metha said. “Accordingly, from November 22 this year, the hearings were held… The Joint Charity Commissioner passed the order on December 7. We received the copy [of the order] on Saturday evening.”
Accusing the OIF of trying to tamper with Osho’s legacy in the past as well, Thakkar said the rebel faction have also been objecting to the change in Osho Ashram’s name. “The OIF changed the name to Osho Resort. It is not a resort by any chance. We call it the Osho Ashram or Osho International Commune. An attempt was made by the OIF to change the name and identity of Osho Ashram. Such an attempt is nothing but an attempt to assassinate the character of a spiritual place. We will continue to fight against such attempts,” he said.
Thakkar said the rebel faction came into existence in 2012. “This was after the OIF trustees gifted a prime plot of Ashram land worth Rs 50 crore to themselves. They had formed a trust in Delhi,” he alleged. “We moved the High Court against this attempt to alienate Osho’s property. Subsequently, nearly 500 disciples were expelled from the Ashram,” he said.
Swami Chaitanya Keerti said the differences began in 2001 when Buddha Hall and the podium inside the ashram were demolished. “Actor Vinod Khanna who was also a disciple participated in the protest in 2001. The podium was the one where our guru would sit and deliver his discourses to around 4,000 followers… It was our sacred place… The rebellion intensified in 2012,” he said.
