Digitally signed

20P VR I2LA AS4SH:ANBTHb V Dy I aL tP A eR :CSA RS AH N-A EN AT S:16663 WP63_2024.DOC RANE 2 20 12 :44 4.0 :44 9.08 +0530 PVR IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 63 OF 2024 Osho International Foundation A Public Trust bearing P.T.R.No.F-14570 (Mumbai)

through its Trustee Mr. Mukesh Sarda. … Petitioner Versus

1. Mr. Kishor Raval alias Swami Anandi

2. Mr. Yogesh Thakkar alias Sw. Pvergeet

3. Narain Dass alias Swami Chaitnya Keerti

4. Mr. Memant Malik alias Sw. Deva Urja Cassia Court CHS.

5. Miss Kashmira Mody alias Ma Amrit Nirvana Cassia Court CHS

6. Mr. Ramkrishna Narayana Reddy alias Sw. Prem Prahteek

7. Mr. Ravinder Singh Panesar alias Swami Anand Nikhil

8. Dr. Amaarendra Narain Jha alias Swami Amarendra Bharti

9. Arochana Srivastava alias Ma Jeevan Smita D/o. Late Shivraj Prasad Srivastava

10. Mr. Rajendra Ramchandra Wagaskar

11. Mr. Chandravardan Bhalchandra Shastri alias Swamy Chandrayogi son of Me. Bhalchandra Prabhuram Shastri 12. Mr. Ravi Nair

13. Mr. R. Chandrashekar

14. Mrs. Gunjan alias Ms. Divyam Suhasini

15. Mr. Girish Kashwani alias Swamy Dhyan Siddhesh

16. Sudha Shashikant Gandhi alias Maa Veet Chhaya

17. Mr. Yashwant Rai alias Swami Chetan Arup

18. Mr. Amit Kumar Patel alias Swami Veet Vikalpa

19. Ms. Chandrekha Tulsiram Rakshe alias Ma Prem Amina

20. Dr. Vijaya Mishra alias Ma Nirdosh Preeta

21. Ms. Sonu Goyal alias Maa Prem Soma

22. Mr. Vithal Lalji Thakker alias Swami Vitthal Bharti

23. Mr. Mukund B. Sanchala alias Swamy Krishna Vedant son of Mr. Bhagwanjibhai Sanchaala

24. Mr. Sunil Mirpuri aka Swami Yoga Sunil Aka Sadhak Yoga Suneel 25. Rajesh Kripaldas Wadhwa

26. Ms. Shweta Manojkumar Rana

27. The Charity Commissioner, Maharashtra State

28. The Jt. Charity Commissioner – I, …Respondents Maharashtra State Mr. Aspi Chinoy, Senior Advocate a/w. Mr. Vineet Naik, Senior Advocate, Mr. Sagheer Khan, Mr. Sharique Nachan, Mr. A.H. Ansari and Mr. Parth Zaveri i/b. Judicare Law Associates for the petitioner.

Mr. Anil Anturkar, Senior Advocate a/w. Mr. Ashish Venugopal, Mr. Aman Dutta and Ms. Vibha Joshi i/b. RHP Partners for respondent no. 2. Mr. Anil V. Anturkar, Senior Advocate a/w. Mr. Vaibhav Kulkarni for respondent no. 24.

Mr. Radhikesh Uttarwar a/w. Ms. Pooja R. Thakur for respondent nos. 8, 17, 20, 25 and 26.

Ms. Shruti D. Vyas, Addl. G.P. a/w. P.J. Gavhane, AGP for the State _______________________

CORAM: G. S. KULKARNI &

FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, JJ.

Reserved On: 04 April, 2024. Pronounced On: 08 April, 2024.

_______________________

Judgment : (Per G.S. Kulkarni, J.)

1. This petition under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution challenges an order dated 7 December 2023 passed by the learned Joint Charity Commissioner-I, Maharashtra State, Mumbai, whereby the application filed by the petitioner under Section 36 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 (for short ‘the MPT Act’) has been rejected. By such application, the petitioner had sought sanction for alienation of immovable property situated at Koregaon Park, Pune, in favour of one Mr. Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj and Rishab Family Trust through Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj, stated to be at the cost of Rs.107 crores.

2. By the impugned order, which is a detailed and a well reasoned order, the learned Joint Charity Commissioner has rejected the petitioner’s application under Section 36(1)(a) of the MPT Act in terms of the following operative order:

ORDER

1. Application No. 2 of 2021 is rejected.

2. Applicant Trust is directed to refund the earnest amount of Rs.50 Crores received from offeror Mr. Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj and Rishab Family Trust without interest.

3. The Special Audit of the Osho International Foundation (OIF) bearing P.T.R. No. F-14570 (Mumbai) shall be conducted for the period from 2005 to 2023 by a team of two Special Auditors to be appointed by concerned Ld. Assistant Charity Commissioner, Greater Mumbai Region, Mumbai within one month from the date of this order.

4. The fees for the Special Audit shall be