IN a major victory for the aggrieved Jain community in Pune, the Charity Commissioner’s office on Monday ordered a ”status quo” on the sale of a prime property housing a Jain boarding hostel and a Mahavir Digambar Jain Temple in the upmarket Model Colony area of the city.
”It is a major victory for the entire Jain community in Pune. We had strongly opposed the sale of the land which housed a hostel for students, a Mahavir Digambar Jain temple besides other facilities,” said Akshay Jain, a member of the Jain community who was the first to oppose the attempt to sell the prime land.
Jain said “status quo” means the builders who have purchased the property will not be able to undertake any further activity including demolition of the structure. He said they argued before the Charity Commissioner that the proposal for sale put up before does not mention the sale of the temple land.
”All the facts were not placed before the Charity Commissioner’s office by the trust. We brought this to the notice of the Charity Commissioner,” said Jain.
The 3.5 acre property, which belongs to Seth Hirachand Nemchand Smarak Trust, a charitable trust, has been purchased by Pune-based Gokhale Constructions for Rs 311 crore.
Besides the Jain community, political leaders like farmer leader Raju Shetti and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar have alleged that Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol has played a big role in sale of the property.
