Tresor Nursing Home – Secret Refuge of Trustees’ Immorality

Tresor Nursing Home and Chitra Sen are synonymous in the Ashram community.

Ms. Chitra Sen is an old inmate, teacher & sports captain of the Ashram and heads the Advisory Committee Board of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust. She also allots work to the inmates and devotees. She also listens to their grievances without any authority to act on her own accord, in other words she is a puppet of the trustees.

Tresor Nursing Home, a unit of Swasthya Trust, is situated on a property belonging to Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust - “Tresor House”. The nursing home is her private and personal business. She has boldly voiced this her before appropriate authority.

SAAT has its own private nursing home on the beach road, dispensary, pharmacy, various therapy centers spread all over the white town and maintained by it for the well-being of its inmates, beneficiaries and devotees.

When crores of rupees has already been invested for this super-infrastructure, why is an elderly ashramite, juggling so many responsibilities, allowed to run her own private business with the blessings of the SAAT trustees, especially on an Ashram property? The answer is very simple but shocking.

Pregnancy is an accepted, normal and almost inevitable incident in the Ashram whether it’s a maid-servant, paid worker in a farmland or an ashramite. This fact is shocking but not so to the old ashramites who have witnessed pregnancies, abortions and childbirths in the Ashram. The women range maid-servant to affluent ladies.

The Mother in Her wisdom always protected women in the Ashram in every way. Stories are also told about how the Mother treated these cases. She permitted some for undergoing abortion and requested some to go for child delivery at the cost of the Ashram. Even today some of these lady-inmates are still alive and well respected in the ashram community along with their off-springs.

Unlike the era of the Mother when She guided and took the responsibility of each ashramite in Her spiritual wisdom, the present trustees (not selected by the Mother) indulge in every activity contrary to the aim and ideal of the Ashram. They are not only aware of the prevailing sexual activities, but enjoy and support the same openly.

Sexual advances are a common pass time in the Ashram and every woman has her own story. Sexual gratifications are procured to entertain VIPs, to become an Ashramite and to be in good books of the trustees. In case these so called “sadhikas” become pregnant trustees of SAAT take good care of them by providing them with appropriate medications, treatment and facilities.

This is where Tresor Nursing Home and Chitra Sen play their secret grand roles. Tresor Nursing Home takes care of all pregnancy cases of the Ashram in the name of D&C. Thus the image of these women remains clean in the Ashram community. But Chitra Sen maintains a comprehensive report about it for the benefit of the trustees of SAAT.

Tresor Nursing Home offers multifaceted approach to well-being and treatment, thus it is open to all including ashramites. Once a report of ‘services rendered’ is submitted, the Ashram dispensary reimburses Tresor Nursing Home for treatments extended its inmates.

You may wonder why I am washing dirty linen in public. Here are the astounding facts.

1. When the assault on Jayashree took place in the Ashram Dining Room on 09/01/2001 I was working as the secretary to Chitra Sen helping her in the Ashram related work. I had raised questions and objections before Chitra Sen with regard to Jayashree’s assault. But she always maintained a hostile convenient silence. Once I had also heard her talk over phone to a psychiatrist called Dr. Unni, for Jayashree’s treatment. When I squarely challenged her she kept quiet. So I knew something was fishy.
2. After Hemlata filed her civil suit in O.S. No.215/2001, i.e. 23/03/2001, a defamatory letter was sent to her. When she issued a legal notice to the trustees, they began scrambling for evidence. Mr. PP Raghavachary (inmate lawyer of SAAT) and Mr. C.S.Narasimhan suddenly began visiting frequently Tresor Nursing Home. When I asked them the reason for their visits they kept mum. In fact, every time they turned up I was asked to leave the premises under some pretext.
3. On 03/04/2001 Hemlata filed her criminal complaint for defamation against the trustees and their henchmen, which they came to know about even before receipt of court-summons. The trustees were enraged at being cited as accused so they issued illegal backdated show cause notice to my three elder sisters and to me. The show cause notice indicated that we had already been found guilty, though no enquiry had been conducted, and why trustees should punish us.
4. Thus on the 7^th of April 2001, trustees decided to punish without even giving me the chance to defend myself. Chitra Sen simply asked me to stop working without assigning any reason. I was forced to hand over the office keys, which I did with a covering letter asking the reason for stopping my work. Till date that letter remains unanswered.
5. On the same date the trustees of SAAT pulled in Tresor Nursing Home and associated it with Hemlata’s alleged pregnancy in order to hush up Jayashree’s assault on 09/01/2001. This we came to know through the Reply Notice issued answering her Legal Notice to the trustees.

A simple protest by us against the assault on Jayashree took such an ugly turn only because a few can stand firm against injustice. This hurt the ego of the male chauvinistic trustees and their henchmen. Today trustees and their henchmen (ashramites, ex-students of SAICE & trustees’ well wishers) beat the drum falsely alleging that Hemlata was in an advance stage of pregnancy of 6-7 months. She violated the so-called golden rule of the Ashram and therefore must be expelled from the Ashram. But, then why no one raised any voice against Krishna Belliappa who became an Ashramite in 2001 and who was not expelled. While Hemlata’s character is repeatedly tainted, no action is taken against Krishna Belliappa who enjoys the status of the ashramite till date.

Why did the trustees associate his name with Hemlata? The reason is so stupid that it is laughable.

In the Ashram everybody is only known by their first name. When Krishna Chandra assaulted Jayashree, trustees tried to suppress this fact since the Oriya threatened to walk out of Dining Room en mass. Since the Dining Room primarily functions on Oriya strength, this boycott would have been a big headache for the trustees. In order to confuse which Krishna was involved, Krishna Pandya being too old, sincere unaccommodating, Krishna Belliappa, the newly inducted ashramite was picked upon. Obviously he did not toe the line for free. He was elevated to the elite circle of conspirators and given full freedom to become a womanizer like his mentor Manoj Das Gupta.

This was corroborated by the fact when Jayashree, Arunashri and Hemlata went to the Police Station. A senior police officer Mr. Anand Mohan seeing them in the police station pointed at Jayashree and asked which Krishna had made her pregnant?

With regard to Krishna - Mahabharata war ensued because of one Sri Krishna. What is going to be the fate of the Ashram trustees and their well wishers when they have heavily relied upon these two Krishnas?

A Bird’s Eye-view of Suit O.S. No.409/2005

After issuing show cause notice to us, which did not mention any charges leveled against us, and without furnishing a complete copy of A.V. Nagarajan’s report dated 10.01.2005 (which also did not contain any specific charges leveled against us), the trustees began issuing and pasting expulsion letters on our doors. We were given no opportunity to defend ourselves. (See details on posting dated 07.02.2005). The dates of events which occurred thereafter are highlighted hereunder. 

1. 25.04.2005 - O.S. No.409/2005 filed before Principal District Munsif at Pondicherry
2. 28.04.2005 – Exparte interim injunction granting status quo is given to us in I.A. No.1500/2005 in O.S. No.409/2005 by an upright honest judicial officer, Mr. Krishnasamy.
3. 10.06.2005 – Interim injunction is made absolute after a thorough enquiry. We sincerely thank Mr. Krishnasamy (Judge of PDM) for his unwavering rendering of justice.
4. 01.07.2005 – Trustees disobey order of injunction and fail to provide ‘Prosperity Items’, which is given to every inmate to meet their daily and monthly needs since we do not receive any money.
5. Contempt Petition No.3782/2005 filed by us against trustees since they disobey court order. The contempt petition is still pending. (See posting on )
6. Trustees prefer appeal in C.M.A. No. 35/2005 at Pondicherry against the interim order dated 10.06.2005. Trustees’ Appeal is dismissed on 30.01.2007. Trial Court Order dated 10.06.2005 is upheld since the balance of convenience is in our favor.
7. Trustees file C.R.P. No.3314/2007 before Madras High Court challenging dismissal of their appeal on 30.01.2007. Order dated 29.01.2008 is passed. Justice K. Venkataraman directs us to reside in some other accommodation. We request for accommodation at ‘Golconde Guest House’.
8. Trustees file M.P. No.1/2008 in C.R.P. No. 3314/2007 for clarification of the order dated 29.01.2008 since they do not wish to accommodate us at ‘Golconde Guest House’. Order dated 04.08.2008 is passed and under the guise of clarification Justice K. Venkataraman modifies his own Order dated 29.01.2008. As directed we ask to be accommodated at ‘International Guest House’ and the ‘Sea Side Guest House’. (See posting on )
9. Trustees file M.P. No.2/2008 in C.R.P. 3314/2007, a second clarification petition, seeking to further modify the already modified order dated 04.08.2008.
10. Justice K. Venkataraman suo motto appoints an Advocate Commissioner. He directs the trustees and the sisters to state alternate accommodation which he will come and inspect and impartially judge the suitability of the accommodation. Advocate Commissioner comes to Pondicherry, visits the mentioned accommodations and submits his report on 23.12.2008 to the Madras High Court. His report is totally unfavorable to the trustees and completely exposes the harassment which the trustees are causing us. (See posting on )
11. The trustees are in a dilemma because of the Advocate Commissioner’s report and pressurize Justice K. Venkataraman to ignore the same. Justice K. Venkataraman has already been so thoroughly comprise that he blindly obeys the trustees. We write a letter to the Chief Justice of Madras High Court – Mr. Justice Gokhale and seek to transfer our case. (See posting on 14.10.2014)
12. Justice Gokhale ignores our complaint and orders Jusice K. Venkataraman to continue with the case. By now Justice K. Venkatarman has become openly hostile and begins to needlessly insult and berate our lawyer. With a heavy heart we request our lawyer to give up Vakalatnama. We were assured that notice will reach us through court and we can come and represent our case ourselves. No such thing happened.
13. On 21.06.2010, 1 ½ years after Advocate Commissioner has submitted his report, Justice Venkataraman passes exparte order in M.P.No.2/2008 in C.R.P. No.3314/2007 directing us to stay at ‘Jenny Working Women’s Hostel’. As per report of Advocate Commissioner this hostel has no vacancy.
14. On 22.07.2010 using Pondicherry police to intimidate us, Matriprasad, Maya Khandelwal, Jahnavi Ravikanti, Purushottam Kothari and others assault Jayashree and Hemlata and deny us food at Ashram Dining Room. (see posting dated )
15. On 27.10.2010, more than three months later our food is restored at through I.A. No.2094/2010 in O.S. No.409/2005, through the Pondicherry court by Mrs. R. Vasanthi, Hon'ble Judge of PDM. We wish to thank yet another upright judge who did not succumb to pressures from her superiors and trustees.
16. Trustees file revision in C.R.P. No. 4219/2010 challenging order dated 27.10.2010 in I.A. No.2094/2010 in O.S. No.409/2005, as well as Contempt Petition No.1483/2010, in Madras High Court. Justice K. Venkatarman is again presiding over these matters. With great difficulty our lawyers manage to transfer the case to the court of Justice S. Manikumar. Matter is extensively argued on both sides in April 2011. Then on 03.08.2012, more than 1 year later, Justice Manikumar passes order of eviction without stating any reason for the same.
17. The five sisters challenge this unjust order dated 03.08.2012 and file S.L.P. No. 27620/2012. Stay is granted by Justice Nijjar and Justice Gokhale.
18. Thereafter from 15.07.2014 the matter is suddenly preponed by 1 ½ months to 29.04.2014 when it comes up before a new bench and a non-executable order is passed on 29.04.2014 by Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice Ranjan Gogoi. (see postings dated )
19. The trustees file Contempt Petition No.395/2014 and arrest warrant has been issued on 13.10.2014 by Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice Bobde.

The trial in O.S. No.409/2005 has been underway for more about 4 years. Trustees are delaying and protracting the proceedings of the trial and till have been fined on two occasion for failing to continue with the trial. They paid fine of Rs.2,000/- each time.

It is most pertinent to note here that our case contains no description of any property. It is a case challenging the impugned report which had been fabricated to hush up, suppress, mislead, misguide and misrepresent our complaints of sexual harassment. Neither the we nor the trustees ever sought relief of eviction in any of the above-mentioned multiple proceedings. But astoundingly eviction has been ordered in a sexual harassment case and victims are further victimized by the above-mentioned judges of the Madras High Court and Supreme Court. Has justice now become blind and corrupt and willfully chooses to remain blindfolded?

Justice K. Venkataraman, Justice S. Manikumar, Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Bobde have all misused their discretionary powers under Article 227 of the Constitution. In spite of having written countless letters, unfortunately no one has as yet had the courage to take action against these judges and make them answerable for the gross miscarriage of justice.

Entry of National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi,

Knowing the trustees' vindictive track record and to safeguard our interests Arunashri, Nivedita and myself, went to Delhi.

In the first week of April 2005 we met Dr. Girija Vyas-ji, the then NCW Chairperson and Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman-ji, the then South Zone Head of NCW. We asked whether any report of enquiry had been submitted by SWC to NCW, as alleged in ‘The Hindu’ on 19.01.2005. We also informed them that no such copy had been furnished to us, in spite of our request, by SWC and if we could be provided with a copy of this alleged enquiry report. Even though the office was searched, no report to this effect was found. So, we requested Dr. Girija Vyas-ji to reopen our case and help us. She assured us help but said no relief could be given immediately without going through the case records.

Desperate for immediate relief we approached the National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi, (NHRC). After hearing us patiently Dr. Justice Shivaraj Patil-ji, (retd.) then a member of the commission, expressed unhappiness at our plight and harassment, especially since the same was being caused at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. He had been a former Justice at Madras High Court and had great regard for Ashram. He directed us to give a written complaint, which we did on the same day of our meeting.

Thereafter we returned to Pondicherry and were caught up in the fresh case O.S. No.409/2005 filed for preventing the trustees from illegally expelling us from Ashram based on the impugned report of A.V. Nagarajan. After hearing our case on 28.04.2004 Mr. N. Krishnasamy, (Hon’ble Judge of PDM, Pondicherry) granted us exparte injunction on merits. Thereafter on 10.06.2005 this injunction was made final after conducting a thorough enquiry on both sides. (See posting dated 07.02.2005)

In May 2005 Arunashri received intimation of an enquiry being conducted by IGP, Pondicherry, on behalf of NHRC. A big drama ensued since without conducting any enquiry IGP Mr. Meena, had already sent his report, based on the media clipping of 19.01.2005 and the alleged acquittal of the accused in S.T.R. No.7919/2004 (based on F.I.R. No.213/2004 filed for our sexual harassment). (See posting dated 19.09.2004, 14.10.2004, 09.05.2005 and 18.10.2014 about corrupt police).

Pretending to correct their illegal act, Mr. Meena, (then IGP) constituted an enquiry by appointing one N.T. Sivadasan, as the enquiry officer, who also conducted no proper enquiry. However his alleged report never reached us nor was ever forwarded to NHRC. The trustees fabricated this report in 2008 with the help of N.T.Sivadasan for filing the same in their C.R.P. No.3314/2007. The trustees also circulated this report as report of NHRC to thwart our claims of sexual harassment and project us in bad light. (See posting dated 15.07.2008).

NHRC has closed our case and issued orders dated 07.11.2005 and 24.03.2006, stating that since NCW was investigating the matter, no interference was needed. On receipt of N.T.Sivadasan’s report we filed application under RTI for a copy of it from NHRC. There is no mention of N.T.Sivadasan’s report in their communication.

Our RTI application and the answer from NHRC are produced below.

Some Corrupt Officers of Pondicherry Police cause Blatant Miscarriage of Justice

Many Officers of the Pondicherry police have been active helpers of the Ashram trustees. To name a few – Mr. J.P. Singh (IPG), Mr. Ananda Mohan (senior officer), Mr. Firoz Zia Hussain (SP North), Mr. Meena (IGP), Mr. N.T.Sivadasan (SP North), Mrs. Thamizharasi (SP), Mr. Srikant (SSP – Law & Order), Mrs. Chhaya Sharma (SSP – C&I), Mr. Varadarajan (SHO – Muthialpet)

But there have also been some upright impartial Police Officers – Mr. Krishnaiah (IGP), Mr. Chandran (SSP – Law & Order), Mr. Baskarane (senior officer)

I am citing instances where we sisters have been denied justice by Pondicherry Police.

1. On 23.03.2001 Hemlata gave a complaint of manhandling and assault but is issued with a Report in Non-Cognizable Offence on 24.03.2001, directing her to seek civil reliefs. (See posting dated 24.03.2001)
2. The complaint dated 05.08.2004 by Arunashri is never taken up. We sent this complaint by RPAD expecting police to play foul. They lived up to our expectations. The police deny having received this complaint but we have postal registration slip and A/D card to prove our point.
3. On 17.09.2004 police dictates complaint to register FIR. Most of Arunashri’s statement is overlooked but at least FIR No.213/2004 is registered. (see posting dated 19.09.2004)
4. On 13.10.2004 police issues summons to Arunashri for production of pornographic chits in FIR 213/2004. But since on the same day they have already received three fresh chits from our rooms at Ambabhikshu House, they don’t take the five original chits which are available with us. We still have them. (See posting dated 14.10.2004)
5. In spite of our repeated visits to Muthialpet police station, where FIR 213/2004 had been registered,  we were not kept informed about the proceedings of the criminal case in S.T.R. No.7919/2004 which was filed based on FIR No.213/2004 before Judicial Magistrate II at Pondicherry. We were never called to the court to give evidence. We were given no opportunity to cross-examine the accused. We came to know about the acquittal of accused first through NHRC’s Order dated 07.11.2005 but no order of acquittal has till date been furnished to us by the Pondicherry police. The only copy which we have received is through the trustees on 04.06.2007 when they filed the said Order of Acquittal in their typeset of documents in C.R.P. No.3314/2007.
6. We were denied food on 22.07.2010 by the trustees using the illegal intimidation of Pondicherry police. Even though Mr. Chandra Mohan (Chief Secretary in 2010) regretted the mistake of the police, they did not help us to restore it by appropriate directions to the trustees.

Produced below is the Order of Acquittal in S.T.R. No.7919/2004 furnished by the trustees to us. The Pondicherry Police buried this Order to harass us and help the trustees. Till date the police has not had the courtesy to give us a copy of this report.

Will Mr. Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya Regret His Support?

Persons with the description pointing to Matriprasad, Nirmal Swain and Devdip Ganguly, were seen coming out of Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya’s chamber on 13.10.2014 before the court-sitting.  If it is true why did such a meeting take place?

On 16.10.2014 Nirmal was spotted in the Supreme Court premises. Are there more pending cases relating to the Ashram other than (1) writ filed by Dr. Gayatri Sathapathy, (2) writ filed by Ramanathan and others, and (3) contempt filed against the five inmate-sisters?

Why is Nirmal Swain, accompanied by the two others, definitely Matriprasad, still hanging in and around Supreme Court? What mischief are they up to now? Are they trying to revoke the ban imposed by the Government on the denigrating book “The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” to continue their open support of Peter Heehs and rename ‘Sri Aurobindo Ashram’ as ‘Sri Sri Sri Peter Heehs Aphrodisiac Resort’? Or are there more little known cases against the trustees of Ashram challenging their ever-increasing mismanagement?

As it is, contrary to the claim of the Ashram trustees, a huge number of cases are currently pending before various High Court across the country and before the Supreme Court. And apparently the trustees prefer if the number of cases is on the rise because only then can they truly enjoy their favorite pastime – ‘inmate baiting’. Unfortunately the Ashram trustees forget that they represent and head a spiritual institution and behave worse than normal power-hungry men. Since these trustees take refuge behind the sacred names of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother ultimately we poor inmates face the brunt of it.

It is high time that at least proper rules and regulation for the administration of the Ashram be prepared and proper bye-laws incorporated in the Trust Deed and in the meantime the present unethical trustees be suspended as hastily as possible to curb and stop useless expenditures in frivolous cases.

Thank You Dr. Girija Vyas-ji

We wish to gratefully thank the following stalwarts for helping us and giving us some relief at least. How these people in authority helped us in spite of adverse pressure is truly noteworthy. 

1. Dr. Girija Vyas, (ex-Chairperson of NCW, New Delhi and presently MP)
2. Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman (present Cabinet Minister)
3. Mrs. Devi Matthews (ex-Director of DWCD, Pondicherry)
4. Mrs. Meena (ex- Deputy Director of DWCD, Pondicherry)
5. Mr. T.M. Balakrishnan, I.A.S. (ex-Secretary (Welfare), Pondicherry)
6. Mr. Vasanthakumar, I.A.S. (ex Sub-Divisional Magistrate cum Deputy Collector at Pondicherry)
7. Mr. Vijaykumar Bidhuri, I.A.S. (ex Sub-Divisional Magistrate cum Deputy Collector at Pondicherry)
8. Mr. Ashokan (Assisting Mr. Vasanthakumar and Mr. V. Bidhuri)

Since May 2004 all the five sisters, one after another, began facing degrading, humiliating and traumatic sexual harassment at the hands of trustees' henchmen. Our sexual harassment was masterminded by Nirmal Swain, an inmate-lawyer who got his law degree through dubious means having completed a 3 years course of law in 6 years. He was the gang-leader of the group comprising mainly of his father Bhagawan Das Swain, Krishna Chandra (who assaulted Jayashree), Girish Panda, Santosh Nayak, Shakar @ Sajjal Mitra, Chandramani Patel (who tried to molest Arunashri), Jagabandhu Rout (who I am now told was instrumental in drawing the pornographic cartoons sent to us) and the girl-friends of all these men.

Arunashri and Jayashree gave complaints to Mr. Bhaktavachalam and Mr. Udaybhaskar, (President and Secretary of Bar Association at Pondicherry and both of whom were then representing the Ashram Trustees in Hemlata's criminal case). Our complaints and requests to stop the sexual harassment, though these lawyers, fell on the deaf and sadistic trustees.

We sisters were constrained to meet personally the trustees during their Trust Board meeting on 26.07.2004 and voice our complaint. The trustees openly sided with these men and literally called us names. Their stance exposed their collusion to the sexual harassment faced by us. (See posting dated 26.07.2004)

However on 03.08.2004 when Chandramani Patel tried to molest Arunashri, we got really scared and started giving out written complaints to various authorities who could help us.

1. On 04.08.2004 complaint to Manoj Das Gupta, Managing Trustee of Ashram
2. On 05.08.2004 complaint to Pondicherry Police
3. On 06.08.2004 complaint to National Commission for Women

The then NCW Chairperson Mrs. Poornima Advani, hands over our case to the then newly appointed Chairperson Mrs. S. Kamalini of SWC. We were relieved that at last we are going to get justice only to be thoroughly disillusioned. Without conducting any enquiry, on 19.01.2005, Mrs. Advani and Mrs. Kamalini gave statements to the effect that a report had been given by SCW to NCW finding our complaints of sexual harassment to be false. But they also gave a most revealing direction through the newspapers that men and women in the Ashram should be segregated. (See postings dated 06.10.2004 and 20.01.2005).

In spite of our written request no copy of the alleged report was furnished to us by Mrs. Kamalini (SWC). By then through the devious manipulations of the trustees, an impugned report had been created by them through the most appropriately initiated and conducted enquiry proceedings. Based on this impugned report trustees were trying to expel the five sisters. We were constrained to approach NCW and NHRC (National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi) in the first week of April 2005.

Luckily for us Dr. Girija Vyas had replaced Mrs. Poornima Advani. We met Dr. Girija Vyas (M.P.) and Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman (present cabinet minister) both of whom were genuinely concerned for our welfare. In spite of their thorough search they were unable to unearth the report as reported on 19.01.2005 by Mrs. Poornima Advani and Mrs. Kamalini. So Dr. Girija Vyas reopened our case through the Department of Women and Child Development, Pondicherry (DWCD). This enquiry is still pending with the Pondicherry Government. (See postings dated 19.03.2007, 06.08.2008)

Because of Dr. Girija Vyas, at the first instance, later with the help and concern of all the above-named persons, we have managed to sustain our dignity to a very great extent. All of us thank these upright persons once again for all the help that they have extended towards our welfare.

CNN-IBN - THE RESURRECTED STING OPERATION

The untold inside story of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. This was a sting operation organised by the team CNN-IBN in 2007-2008. This video was supposed to be aired on 15.03.2008 at 9.00 p.m. prime-time. Till 5.00 p.m. on the 15 March 2008, the promos of this video titled 'The Divine Trap' were aired. Thereafter mysteriously the promos as well as the whole coverage vanished without being aired.

Trustees put a lot of pressure to have it stopped. It is rumored that money in crores was involved. The entire production team resigned in protest. I managed to get hold of a copy of this coverage which I am sharing now with all interested.

THEFT in Sri Aurobindo Ashram?

It is rumored that there has been a huge theft from Sri Aurobindo Ashram to the tune of 8 Crores. Why have the trustees not given a complaint to the police? Or is it that this huge sum has been spent by the trustees while extending hospitality and for the entertainment of three high profile judges who visited the Ashram Trustees 

1. Chief Justice of India, Mr. Justice R.M. Lodha, visited on 16.08.2014
2. Supreme Court Judge, Mr. Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya, visited on 13.09.2014
3. Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Mr. Justice S.K. Kaul, visited on 03.10.2014

Probably that is why Mr. Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya is supporting them so blatantly at the cost of his own personal reputation.

Most Glaring Bloopers of Menon’s Enquiry

Immediately after Mr. Menon packed up from Pondicherry after completing the enquiry, Matriprasad pitched his tent at Madras. The impugned undated report submitted by Mr. Menon reeks of Matriprasad’s way of thinking and style of logic. It is rumored that Mr. Menon was paid Rs.75 Lakhs apart from other huge perks. I think we can safely take this figure with a pinch of salt in the northern direction. 

1. No explicit charges were framed against me and I was given no chance to refute the same.
2. No evidence of my misconduct was produced, it was all hearsay.
3. Trustees’ witnesses were given 3 ½ days for being examined and cross-examined. I was given mere three hours.
4. Witnesses produced before Mr. Menon were different from the witnesses produced before Mr. Natarajan.
5. The common witnesses’ statement was different in each enquiry.
6. Krishna Belliappa, newly inducted inmate, with whom I was supposed to have carried on with and become pregnant, denied outright his role. (implying I had immaculate conception with Manoj Das Gupta as the father since Manoj Das Gupta is self-proclaimed incarnation of the Divine??!!!!)
7. Krishna Belliappa, in spite of being accused of the same misconduct, was examined by the trustees’ as their witness. (implying clear collusion.)
8. Statements of trustees’ witnesses were contradictory.
9. Alleged medical and other relevant records pertaining to my alleged pregnancy were available at Tresor Nursing Home, claimed Chitra Sen. But she deliberately failed to produce them since there were no records to produce.
10. Statements of my witnesses and myself were not correctly recorded even though we protested. Mr. Menon deliberately omitted to record our statements which were detrimental to the trustees’ interest. He almost threatened us to that effect saying that if we did not stop protesting he would not record any of our statements.
11. Dr. Prabhavathy, who alleged to have examined me when I was 6-7 months pregnant, gave a contradictory statement to the statement of the nurse who is supposed to have also examined me with her.
12. Dr. Prabhavathy is Prabhakar Runpanagunta’s @ Batti’s sister. She gave statement on behalf of the trustees on condition that Batti be made a trustee of Ashram.
13. The medical records produced by the trustees comprised on a medicine disbursement list of Ashram Dispensary. Through this list the trustees tried to prove my alleged pregnancy by the medicines I had received. Now interestingly this list contained names of men (old and young), women (old and young) and children all of who had also received each and every one of the medicine that I had been given. I was declared to be pregnant through this register, but all the other child-bearing-aged women inmates and probable male inmates, were left scott free. This indeed is a miraculous diagnosis of medical feat being achieved by a truly spiritualized Dr. Dilip Datta!
14. Lastly I was found to be 6 to 7 months pregnant by trustees’ witnesses as on 10.01.2001. Now Mr. Menon comes to the conclusion, based on the non-evidence produced before him, that I became pregnant towards the end of the year 2000 (implying November/December 2000). But by 10.01.2001, the date on which Dr. Prabhavathy had alleged to have examined me at Tresor Nursing Home, I was 6 to 7 months pregnant.

 A very interesting fact to note at this point is the date on which Dr. Prabhavathy claims to have examined me – 10.01.2001. On 09.01.2001, just a day before my eldest sister Jayashree is brutally assaulted. After Dr. Prabhavathy’s statement her brother Prabhakar Rupanagunta @ Batti becomes Ashram trustee. Do you really feel the dates are a coincidence???!!!

The First Phase of Litigation

The first phase of litigation between the trustees and we five sisters began on and from 23.03.2001. The circumstances and cause of action for all multifaceted arose from the point where Jayashree was brutally assaulted in the presence of one of the trustees of Ashram, one Veda Prakash Johar, who did nothing to stop the inhuman assault. Thereafter the trustees tried their best to suppress the incident of assault. But because of our persistent demand for justice, we were all targeted one by one.

On 21.03.2001 Hemlata was issued a chit saying that her name had been removed from ‘Prosperity List’ of the Ashram. Prosperity List is a list of all the inmates who are being taken care of in every way by the Ashram and are completely dependent on the Ashram for their survival. Based on this chit Hemlata filed a civil suit for permanent injunction on 23.03.2001 in the morning in O.S. No.215/2001 before the Hon’ble I Additional Munsif at Pondicherry. (See postings of 09.01.2001, 30.03.2001 and 13.09.2002)

As a way to shush me for repeatedly demanding and later threatening to go to the police to lodge a complaint for Jayashree’s assault, the trustees punished me by allowing me to take food only through carrier service. I complied for about three weeks then realizing that we were being needlessly targeted, I wrote to the concerned trustees that I was going to resume taking my food at the Ashram Dining Room. On 22/3/2001 I was allowed to take food from the Dining Room counter. But on 23.03.2001 when with my four elder sisters I went for breakfast none of us were given food. (See posting of 24.03.2001).

After I filed O.S. No.215/2001 I was charged with false allegation of misconduct. After issuing appropriate legal notice for defamation I filed a criminal case defamation in S.T.R. No.864/2001 on 03.04.2001 before the Judicial Magistrate I of Pondicherry where the then trustees and their three henchmen were accused of defaming me and spreading lies about me. (See postings of 15.05.2001, 06.11.2001 and 24.11.2004). The accused were acquitted because the judge had been compromised. I have preferred a criminal appeal in Cr.A. No.477/2005 challenging the unjust acquittal and it is pending disposal before the Hon’ble Madras High Court. But till date this case remains the only one where all the trustees appeared in person as accused and faced the Judge and because of this indigestible humiliation the trustees have never forgiven my family and me.

The trustees came to know about this criminal case even before the notice reached them. They were furious and targeted my four elder sisters also. My sisters were issued with an illegal show cause notice backdated to 02.04.2001. This show cause notice already contained the punishment even without going into the veracity of the allegations made against them. My sisters were falsely accused of ‘misbehavior and defiance’. On 09.04.2001 they filed O.S. No.253/2001 challenging the malafide show cause notice issued to them before the Hon’ble I Additional District Munsif at Pondicherry. For ten long years needlessly the battled raged on in this case. (See postings on 15.04.2001 and 09.04.2010)

Since the trustees misrepresented before the Hon’ble Madras High Court, my suit in O.S. No.215/2001 was summarily terminated and Mr. Menon was appointed as the third enquiry officer to conduct an enquiry into the allegations of misconduct leveled against me. He submitted to my lawyer at Madras/ Chennai a perverse undated report and before the trustees could take action based on Mr. Menon’s impugned report I challenged the same on 14.11.2002 by filing O.S. No.668/2002 before the Hon’ble I Additional District Munsif at Pondicherry. (See postings dated 14.11.2002, 03.12.2002, 01.03.2003 and 23.09.2008). The trial has been underway for the past four years and it could have been finished had the trustees not delayed and protracted the proceedings, which they are still doing. The trustees have had to pay fine two times of Rs.2,000/- for failing to conduct the trial of the case.

The easiest way to discredit and humiliate a lady is by casting aspersion on her character, conduct and behavior. This is how all the five sisters were subjected to gross humiliation. As we kept challenging the unjust actions of the trustees the first phase of the litigation unfolded.