Chandigarh: In a significant development, the Punjab and Haryana high court has asked the Haryana govt to inform the court as to whether the state authorities are going to take over the ashram/properties left behind by late Yoga Guru Dhirendra Brahmachari.According to the HC , since Brahmachari had renounced the world, the entire property left behind by him was supposed to go to the state. While adjourning the matter for May 29, the HC has asked the state’s counsel to get instructions as to whether and when the state is going to take over the properties left behind by Brahmchari and the society created by him. “It deserves mention that a society was established by a sanyasi called Swami Dhirendra Brahmchari. Since he was a sanyasi, he had proclaimed to the world that he had renounced it,” the HC has observed in its detailed order, adding, “Therefore, as such, there cannot be any legal heir of a person, who has renounced the world.”In such a situation, the property left behind such a person or the establishment of such a person has to be taken as the property without a titleholder after the death of the said sanyasi, the court said. “Accordingly, in normal course , the entire properties of Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari and the society established by him are supposed to go to the state by way of escheat,” the HC observed. Justice Rajbir Sehrawat of the HC has passed these orders while hearing a contempt of court petition filed by Aparna Ashram Society and another.The petition has been filed alleging contempt qua the order dated Dec 16, 2016 (passed in a civil suit No.125/2004) whereby certain persons were held to be not the proper management of the society and despite that , they are selling the land belonging to the society. Early in April 2023, the HC had dismissed the petitions filed by some private companies that had purchased the controversial land belonging to late yoga guru’s ashram, against the Dec 2020 order passed by deputy commissioner ( DC) Gurgaon canceling the sale of the contentious property in favor of companies.The land in question — a sprawling 24 acres in Silokhera — was once an airstrip, owned since the 1980s by Aparna Ashram founder Dhirendra Brahmachari, yoga instructor and trusted confidant of Indira Gandhi.Following his death in a plane crash in June 1994, a dispute arose between some individuals over the property.Brahmachari was instrumental in getting Aparna Ashram (society) registered with the Registrar of Societies, Delhi between 1983-84.Two individuals claiming themselves to be representative of the society had transferred the said land in favor of four Delhi-based companies on Dec 27, 2020 for a consideration of around Rs 55 crore. Later, the sale deed was canceled by DC Gurgaon. The appeal against the DC’s order was upheld by the HC in April last year.
