Osho Disciples File High Court Petition Alleging Rs. 300 Crore Scam
Pune, August 8, 2013
Four administrators of Osho ashram have allegedly siphoned off more than Rs. 300 crores, according to a petition filed in Mumbai high court.
The petitioners, Yogesh Thakkar and Kishor Raval, allege that Michael O’Byrne alias Anand Jayesh, John Andrews alias Amrito, Darcy O’Byrne alias Yogendra, brother of Michael, and Mukesh Kantilal Sarda alias Mukesh Bharti with others have transferred these assets to a private limited company. The petition provides documentary evidence of illegal transfer of funds.
The funds were moved from various Osho ashram trusts in Pune including Osho International Foundation (OIF) and Neo Sannyas Foundation (NSF) to a private limited company, Osho Multi-Media and Resorts Private Limited. The petitioners plead that funds and assets from a charitable trust cannot be transferred to a private limited company.
The same petitioners had earlier filed the same objection to the Charity Commissioner in Mumbai in October 2011 raising serious objections to the transfer of ashram property to Darshan Trust in New Delhi to move the property from the authority of the Charity Commissioner. Since the Charity Commissioner did not take any action, the petitioners appealed to the high court on this matter and, more significantly, the transfer of assets valued at Rs. 303 crore to a private limited company. The petitioners allege that the entire income from Osho’s books, videos, groups, therapies and the resort is credited to this private limited company.
This petition presents how the funds and assets of the Osho trusts amounting to more than Rs. 303.39 Crores are manipulated by the trustees who are themselves the directors of the private company. The details of asset transfers have been provided. The petition also explains how Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for Osho’s words and meditations and even his name have been registered in Switzerland in the name of Osho International Foundation (OIF) in which the same four persons are the trustees. When Osho disciples objected to the registration of these trade marks in USA, OIF lost the case. Now a similar case is pending in European Union jurisdiction.