Steps on to vacate stay on probe against Aurobindo ashram: CM

The Puducherry government was taking legal steps to vacate a stay granted by Madras High Court on a probe into allegations of sexual harassment and financial management levelled against trustees of the famed Sri Aurobindo Ashram here, Chief Minister N Rangasamy said.
Replying to a call attention motion on the issue, he also told the Assembly that a decision would be taken on the plea for appointment of special officers to administer the over eight-decade old ashram in consultation with Law Department.
Opposition Congress members staged a walkout after the Chief Minister's reply, protesting denial of permission by the Speaker to them to rebutt the charges against the trustees.

Rangasamy said the government had ordered an inquiry by the Deputy Collector into the allegations contained in several petitions from the public and also from the ashram inmates and devotees. But the trustees had moved the high court and obtained a stay on the probe in October last year.
Consequently the probe had been put on hold. The government on its part had filed a counter affidavit and steps were now under way to get the stay vacated, he said.
The allegations related to sexual harassment of women inmates, financial mismanagement, illegal sale and lease of the properties belonging to the ashram among other things.

Earlier, moving the call attention motion, ruling AINRC members P R Siva, Ashok Anandh and opposition AIADMK member A Anbalagan said serious allegations had been made against the trustees and effective action should be taken.

Alleging that the trustees were running the ashram as a commercial undertaking deviating from the objectives with which the two spiritual savants Sri Aurobindo and the Mother established it, they wanted the government to appoint an administrator to manage the ashram properties.
Speaker V Sabapathy repeatedly asked the members to keep in mind the reputation of the institution, which attracts a large number of people from across the country and abroad, and asked them to refrain from making any further comments.

When K Lakshminarayanan (Congress) rose to rebut the criticisms made by the AINRC and AIADMK members against the ashram and wanted to present a clear and true picture, the Speaker told him that there could be no more debate on the subject as the Chief Minister had already replied.
Amid heated arguments with AINRC and AIADMK members, the Congress MLAs walked out of the assembly.
Later, Lakshminarayanan told reporters outside the house that the Speaker had only let the critics speak while no opportunity was given to the Congress members.