The Madras High Court has appointed Justice P R Raman, a retired judge of the Kerala High Court, to probe allegations of funds misappropriation and sexual abuse of inmates in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry.
The retired judge will investigate a host of charges, including sexual harassment of women and children, violation of human rights in the ashram, misappropriation of funds and the illegal sale and lease of ashram properties by the trustees.
Justice K K Sasidharan made the appointment on Friday, while passing interim orders on a writ petition from Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust. The trust was established by the ‘Mother’ (Mirra Alfassa, the spiritual partner of Sri Aurobindo), under a trust deed in 1955, with the primary objective of providing an environment conducive for the practice of integral yoga as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo.
The trust challenged the order to initiate an inquiry into allegations made by some inmates of the ashram, local Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ashok Anand, ashram rival Vishnu Lalit and others and the Puducherry government’s consequential notice dated
October 1, 2012, inviting interested Ashramites and others to approach the Deputy Collector (Revenue) Puducherry in connection with the inquiry.
The Judge also appointed advocate Sathya Sri Priya Easwaran of Elamkulam in Kochi as inquiry assistant for recording statements of women inmates.
The trust has been ordered to pay Rs 1.50 lakh to the inquiry officer and Rs 75,000 to his assistant per month as honorarium from September 1, and meeting their travel and boarding expenses till the conclusion of inquiry.
Though no time limit was fixed, the Judge said that the inquiry should be completed as soon as possible and the report submitted before the court. The matter was then posted for further hearing to November 4, along with another writ petition.