Sai Baba had no property in his name

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Sathya Sai Baba had no property in his name and had neither named a successor nor left any will, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said on Thursday.

The trust, which manages the affairs of the huge spiritual empire left behind by Sathya Sai Baba, will choose its chairman soon.

Baba, who was the trust's chairman since its inception, had no property, bank account, flat or land in his name. "He had repeatedly said his property are his devotees. All the property is in the name of the trust and every rupee is accounted for," the trust's lawyer, S.S. Naganand, told reporters.

Addressing a joint press conference, the five members of the trust and four members of the council of management denied allegations that there were differences in their ranks.

One of the members, Venu Srinivasan, said one among them would be chairman but ruled out any outsider's appointment to the post.

"This (selection of new chairman) will happen as early as possible. Maybe in three to four days or by next week," he said.

Srinivasan, who is also chairman and managing director of TVS Motors, also ruled out inducting Baba's personal caregiver Satyajit into the trust

He also clarified that Baba alone had the power to sign the cheques. R.J. Ratnakar, a member of the trust and Baba's nephew, said he would suggest at the board meeting that there should be two signatories to every cheque.

The trust issued a detailed statement, giving details of the property at various places. It vowed to continue its activities.

Though there are reports that the trust property are estimated at Rs.40,000 crore to Rs.60,000 crore, Naganand, an eminent lawyer from Bangalore, said it had never been evaluated for cost.