Ramni is Managing Director of Shirdi Sai Baba Trust, Chennai, and considered an expert in computer technology. He was appointed on this honorary post for a period of five years in October 2008.
Justices Naresh Patil and A B Chaudhari recently observed that petitioners had not made any representation to the respondent state in respect of the contentions raised herein.
"On the material made available before his Court as on today, we are not inclined to exercise our jurisdiction to entertain this public interest litigation. PIL is dismissed".
Ramni had donated Rs 100 crores for construction of a tourist rest house 'Sai Ashram' at Shirdi. He had requested allotment of seven per cent rooms to him.
However, in October 2010, Shirdi's Sai Baba Trust resolved to allot 20 rooms in the Ashram to Ramni, besides allowing him to open an office for his trust in the premises of Sai Ashram, the PIL alleged.
The PIL, filed by Shirdi residents, Sandeep Kulkarni and Uttamrao Shelke, has questioned the decision of Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan to allow Ramni to start the office of his Chennai-based Shirdi Sai Baba Trust in 'Sai Ashram' at Shirdi.
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The PIL alleged that Ramni, by paying a huge donation of Rs 100 crore, had influenced the Sai Saba Sansthan to appoint him as the head of IT department of the Trust.
The PIL prayed that Ramni's appointment in this post was illegal ab-initio (right from beginning) and was an outcome of an illegal resolution which was basically against the preamble and object of a special statute enacted by the government in 2004 for Sai Baba Sansthan.
The PIL further said the name of Ramni's trust is deceptively similar to the Sai Baba Sansthan in Shirdi. Due to similarity in the names of the two trusts, there is a strong possibility of collection of donations from devotees by Ramni's trust in Shirdi, the PIL argued.