The Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra State, Amogh S. Kaloti, has revoked the land sale sanction earlier granted to the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Smarak Trust. The order was issued on Thursday, after a joint request by the Trust and developer Gokhale Landmarks LLP, effectively bringing an end to the controversy surrounding the property transaction.
The original sanction was issued on April 4, 2025, which allowed the Trust to sell its property to the developer under Section 36(1)(a) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act (MPT Act). However, an application filed by S. K. Jinturkar and others sought revocation of the order under Section 36(2), raising concerns about transparency and safeguarding public interest.
Subsequently, both the Trust and the developer informed the Commission that they were willing to revoke the sanction voluntarily, emphasising that the move was taken in the interest of communal harmony, transparency.
After hearing all parties, the Charity Commissioner observed that since both sides had consented to the revocation, no further inquiry into allegations of fraud or concealment was necessary.
Charity Commissioner’s Order:
1. The sanction order dated April 4, 2025, issued in favour of the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Smarak Trust has been revoked under Section 36(2) of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act.
2. Sale Deed and POA to be Cancelled: The Trust and M/s. Gokhale Landmarks LLP must cancel the Sale Deed and Power of Attorney (POA) executed on October 8, 2025, and take necessary legal steps to formalise the cancellation.
3. The trustees of the Trust are directed to refund the entire sale consideration amount (after TDS deduction) to the developer once the Sale Deed and POA are cancelled.
4. Following the cancellation, the Trust must report to the Public Trusts Registration Office, GMR, Mumbai, to restore the property’s title to its records (Schedule I).
5. Applications Disposed Of: Both Application No. CC/08/2025 and Misc. Application No.
“The Charity Commissioner has given the verdict in the Jain Boarding case and cancelled the transaction. But it is important to verify whether the Charity Commissioner actually has the authority to cancel such a deal. There seem to be many irregularities in this matter. This fight is not over. We will continue until everything is made completely clear,” Ravindra Dhangekar
Dhangekar took to social media X and wrote, “The power to stop the deal lies only with its true beneficiary, the invisible partner. Everything else is just a farce. A high-level probe must investigate every participant in the Jain Boarding land scam, from Deputy Minister Murlidhar Mohol, trustees, builders, the Charity Commissioner, and financial institutions that issued unsecured loans, to all officials involved. Their call records from October 6 to 10 must be examined. I repeat that those who conspired to seize Jain temple land will not get away.”
