Ekvira Devi temple Maval Taluka The joint charity commissioner of Pune has initiated action against the board of trustees at the historicinunder section 41D of Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950, wherein the entire set of trustees can been dismissed or removed. The charity commissioner’s move comes in the wake of several complaints received in the past regarding mismanagement of the trustees. On the basis of the compliant a detailed inquiry was started during which it was revealed that the trust members had for quite some time now been violating even the statutory provisions of the trust and orders of the charity commissioner. A notice has been issued to the nine trustees who are yet to send their clarification.The joint charity commissioner had received complaints against members of the Ekvira Devi Trust Committee inducting people with vested interests into the trust committee. During subsequent investigation the trust members allegedly refused to cooperate with the charity inspector and came up with excuses when asked to produce the record. The trust had also reportedly split into two groups which is allegedly taking a toll on the functioning of the trust. Also, for several years the trust had not submitted any audit report to the charity commissioner. A loan running into crores of rupees had been taken by the trust without the permission of the charity commissioner. Orders issued by the charity commissionerate were found to have been disregarded by the trust routinely.The Ekvira Aai Mandir is a Hindu temple located near the Karla Caves near Lonavala in Maharashtra. The worship of the goddess Ekvira is carried on right next to the caves, once a centre of Buddhist practices. According to the legend, this temple was constructed by the Pandavas during their exile in the forest. People not only from the state but across the country come to visit the temple.Dilip Deshmukh, joint charity commissioner, Pune, said, “According to the report submitted after the inquiry the trustees have committed breach of section 33, 34, 36 and 37 of the Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950. They were found disobeying orders passed by the assistant charity commissioner and even spending money for a purpose that is not listed in their constitution. The trustees did not even cooperate with the charity inspector during the inquiry and no one produced the required documents. Now we have initiated suo moto action and are waiting for their response.”Speaking on behalf of the trustees advocate Vinayak Karkande, said, “There is a lot of interference by villagers in the functioning of the temple trust. There are trustees who are not from the village but made huge contributions in the development of the temple and brought aid for its functioning. The complaints have been made unnecessarily to harass these trustees just because they are not from the village. We are aware of the process of 41(d) initiated against us all the trustees and soon we will present our say to the charity commissioner.”

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.