Shirdi temple: new trustees appointed

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) In a late night move, the Maharashtra government has appointed a new board of trustees for the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust to replace the old set sacked earlier this month, an official said Wednesday.

Veteran Congress member Jayant Sasane, who was chairman in the outgoing board, has made a comeback in the post for another three years, while a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) activist has been appointed vice chairman of the trust to oversee the affairs of the shrine complex in Shirdi.

The government move to appoint the new board came late Tuesday to adhere to the Bombay High Court deadline of March 28 for forming the new body.

On March 13, the Bombay High Court's Aurangabad Bench sacked the 18 members of the Shirdi-based Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST), jolting the ruling Congress-NCP controlled body.

The division bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice T.V. Nalawade had also warned that the court would hand over the SSST management to court-appointed administrators unless the government appointed a new committee within 15 days.

"Ghanshyam Shelar has been appointed as vice chairman, while cabinet minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (retained), Shailesh Kute and Snehalata Kolhe are some of the other new trustees," a happy Sasane told IANS early today.