Team Herald
PONDA/PANJIM: The Advocate of Kavalem Mutt, Manohar P Adpaikar, has denied allegations of impersonation, cheating, and forgery filed against him, the 77th pontiff of Kavale Mutt, Shree Shivanand Saraswati Swami, and Math Attorney Avadhut Shivram Kakodkar.
The allegations stem from an FIR registered at Ponda Police Station on January 15, 2025, based on a complaint by Bhushan J Jack and Dr P S Ramani. The complaint accuses the trio of fraudulently executing a Power of Attorney (POA) on February 20, 2018, and misusing it to sell Mutt property located at Queula village, Ponda, on March 20, 2018.
The complainants allege that the POA, purportedly executed by Shree Shivanand Saraswati Swami, fraudulently used the name of his predecessor, Srimant Satchidananda Saraswati, the 76th pontiff of the Mutt, who passed away in 2005. The POA authorised Kakodkar to act as the lawful attorney of the Mutt. This POA was allegedly used to execute a sale deed of the property, known as "Velpan," measuring 675 sq.m. under Survey No. 69/16.
However, Adv Adpaikar clarified that the property sale was annulled in court after it was noticed that Shree Shivanand Saraswati Swami’s name was absent from the sale deed. "The sale deeds have been declared null and void, funds were returned to the purchasers, and the property reverted to the Mutt," said Adpaikar. He attributed the issue to a clerical error and asserted that all signatures on the sale deed were made by Kakodkar as the POA holder.
The complainants allege that Shree Shivanand Saraswati Swami impersonated his predecessor to execute the POA in 2018. Adpaikar dismissed the allegations as baseless. "The case of impersonation does not arise as all signatures were made by the authorised attorney. This issue is being blown out of proportion with Mutt committee elections approaching," he stated.
Kakodkar, identified as the Mutt Trust Secretary, allegedly approached Adv Adpaikar in 2018 with supporting documents, including ownership papers in the name of Srimant Satchidananda Saraswati. Adpaikar claimed that Kakodkar, alongside the buyer associated with Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay, provided the documentation to draft the sale deed.
Upon discovering the error, the Mutt sought legal recourse, resulting in the Civil Court declaring the sale deed void. The property was restored first under the name of the late Srimant Satchidananda Saraswati and subsequently transferred to his successor, Shree Shivanand Saraswati Swami, in 2020.