AP High Court cancels Sanchaita's appointment as Mansas trust chairperson, orders to reappoint Ashok Gajapathi Raju

It is learned that the government last year removed former Union minister and TDP senior leader Pusapati Ashok Ganapathi Raju from the post of chairman of the Mansas Trust, Simhachalam Temple Board and appointed Anand Gajapathi's daughter Sanchaita as director. The High Court has struck down the G.O issued by the government and ordered the re-appointment of Ashok Ganapathi Raju as the chairman of the two trusts and cancelled the appointment of the Sanchaita.

The verdict came on a petition filed by Ashok Gajapati Raju challenging his removal as chairman. In March last year, the government appointed Sanchaita Ganapathi Raju, the second daughter of Ananda Ganapathi Raju, as the chairman of the governing body of the Simhachalam Temple. The controversy began when she was also appointed chairman of the Mansas Trust Board, which was owned by the Vizianagara kings. The government has stated in GO that the accumulator has been given the opportunity in a rotational manner.

Ashok Gajapatiraju brought to the notice of the court that the elders should be the trustees in their old age as they are a hereditary trust and opined that the government has appointed the chairman of these trusts against the rules. The government has argued that the appointment was made in accordance with the rules. The bench, which reserved judgment after hearing the arguments of both the parties, on Monday ordered the reappointment of Ashok Ganapathi Raju as chairman of the Mansas Trust.

Earlier, Ananda Gajapatiraju, the eldest son of PVG Raju, was the trustee. Ashok Gajapatiraju has been the hereditary trustee of Simhachalam Temple since the death of Ananda Gajapati in 2016. On the other hand,

The Mansas Trust was established with a focus on education, culture and music. The trust is technically in control of 14,800 acres of land worth over Rs 50,000 crore (at current market value) in both the Godavari districts as well as the north coastal Andhra districts for the management of MANSAS. Apart from this, 108 temples and their lands in north coastal Andhra and Godavari districts are also under the trust.