Vizianagaram, the erstwhile Princely State which has a special place in Indian history, is once again in the limelight due to an ongoing tussle between the families of the late Pusapati Ananda Gajapathi Raju and Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, former Union Minister, over the control of MANSAS trust which administers a huge extent of prime lands in the North Andhra region. The legal battle between two families might continue for many years, according to legal experts. Around 14,800 acres of land worth more than ₹50,000 crore situated mostly in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts is technically under the control of the Maharaja Alak Narayana Society of Arts and Science (MANSAS), according to sources. The trust, established in 1958, also controls prime lands of 108 temples, including the Simhachalam Devasthanam and many reputed educational institutions.
The founder of MANSAS, P.V.G. Raju, handled the trust responsibilities between 1958 and 1994 and later his eldest son Ananda Gajapathi Raju headed it between 1994 and 2016. After his death, his brother Ashok Gajapathi Raju served as its chairperson till his removal by the government which appointed Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju, daughter of Ananda Gajapathi Raju, as the chairperson. The government also provided opportunity for other family members, including Ashok Gajapathi’s daughter Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju, Ananda Gajapathi’s another daughter Urmila Gajapathi Raju and P.V.G. Raju’s daughter R.V. Suneetha Prasad. Pusapati family’s young generation members Arun Kapur and Vijay K. Sondhi also found place in the trust as per the GO MS No.75 issued on March 3 by the Endowments Department which also takes care of the properties along with MANSAS trust.
In normal course, there might not have been any controversy over the properties. However, Ananda Gajapathi’s wife Uma Gajapathi Raju took divorce from him in the year 1991.
Claims over rights
Ms. Sanchaita says she is the legitimate heir in spite of the divorce of her mother. She also questions the ‘male heir’ rule of the trust. Mr. Ashok’s family argues that the trust rules and regulations cannot be ignored since it was the wish of the founder of the trust. Kantubhukta Srinivasa Rao, former president of Vizianagaram Bar Association, said the Indian Trust Act-1982 rules cannot be ignored.
