Even as arrangements are being made to lay the mortal remains of the spiritual Guru Sri Satya Sai Baba to rest in the Yajurmandiram of the Prashanthy Nilayam where Baba lived all these years, thousands of Baba devotees and the ashram residents have started expressing their doubts over the capacity of the Trust to carry forward the mission launched by the Baba.

“Now Baba is not there and I doubt whether the Trust has the psychological will and the wherewithal to carry forward the mission that included educational, health and welfare programmes launched by Sai Baba,” said an ardent devotee of the spiritual master.

Thousands of devotees have become ashram residents and hundreds of staff members are there to look after the daily chores of the Prashanthy Nilayam but all of them are now worried over the fate of the vast spiritual empire left by the Baba.

Trust to meet on Wednesday

The Trust members are scheduled to meet on Wednesday after the Baba will be laid to rest to take key decisions regarding succession of the Baba. Rumours are rife that Trust secretary K. Chakravarthy would be given the  cheque power temporarily but some say the powers would be vested jointly with Satyajit, who was the personal caregiver of Baba all these years and RJ Ratnakar, already a Trustee and  nephew of Baba.

There are also rumours that Baba had left a will in the name of the 33-year old Satyajit suggesting that he be made the Trust head. Satyajit had become very close to Baba after the latter had a hip fracture sustained through a fall in 2003. Satyajit, a student who did his MBA in the Satya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, came forward to take care of Baba and remain his personal caregiver for life.