What is the case of diversion of funds from the Gandhi Smarak Bhawan, formed after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination?

Tyagi and others are facing charges of registering a trust in the name of Gandhi Smarak Bhawan, and allegedly diverting the funds received in the name of the original trust to his individual trust.

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What is Gandhi Smarak Bhawan?

Gandhi Smarak Bhawan, which is spread over a 5,000 sq yards area in Sector 16, is one of the units of Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, a trust which was constituted after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. At the outset, the trust was named Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (GSN).

Then national leaders, including Dr Rajendra Prasad, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and Shri Jagjivan Ram, among others, were the founder trustees. From 1952 to 1959 the work of the GSN was conducted from Delhi. Later in 1962-63 separate state bodies were established and registered as a State Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.

In 1963, the Punjab State Gandhi Smarak Nidhi was registered as an independent trust named Gandhi Smarak Nidhi Punjab. When Punjab state was divided into three states, then the Trust was renamed the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi Punjab, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh. Anand Sharan, Secretary GSN, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, said, “The Trust was allotted a 5,000 sq yards area in 1960. This building comes under the GSN, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal. The Trust has been paying the property tax of this building to the UT administration for a long time. This Bhawan is among nine units of the Trust. Other units include Sarvodaya Bhawan, Jalandhar, Gandhi Ghar in Dera Bassi, Gandhi Ghar in Harsemanesar, etc.”

Dev Raj Tyagi has been charged with forgery, cheating and embezzlement of funds. Who is he?

Dev Raj Tyagi, a native of Moradabad in UP, was appointed in charge of the Gandhi Smarak Bhawan, Sector 16, way back in 1986. He was then 24 years old. Insiders maintained that as he was a native of UP, he was allowed to stay inside the Smarak Bhawan. He was an employee of the Trust ‘GSN Punjab, Haryana, Himachal.

Over time, Tyagi got married and had a family and preferred to stay in the Bhawan. He retired on January 31, 2022. However, he requested for an extension, which was allowed on the condition that his service would be terminated anytime if he was found involved in any illegal activities. Sources said over the years, Tyagi developed close connections with politicians, bureaucrats and others.

In 2016, Tyagi formed a Trust but later dissolved it when the matter came to light. This time, he was dismissed from service on October 16, 2022.

How did this come to light?

According to the FIR registered at Police Station 17, Dev Raj Tyagi had registered a Trust titled Gandhi Smarak Nidhi Chandigarh with the address of Gandhi Smarak Bhawan, Sector 16, in 2022. On October 2 last year, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, he invited UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Mayor Sarabjit Kaur, Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain, who is also a senior BJP leader, to the Bhawan.

The administrator announced a heavy donation. Tyagi reportedly gave the account number of his Trust, instead of GSN Punjab, Haryana, Himachal to the administration for encashing the donation. Anand Sharan, Secretary of the original Trust, said, “Dev Raj Tyagi did not inform us about the function. We received an invitation on WhatsApp from a third person. We attended the function and found that the event was being organised under the banner of Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Chandigarh. We informed the high committee in Delhi. A fact-finding probe was conducted and Tyagi was found guilty. Then, our Trust lodged an FIR against Tyagi and others in Chandigarh.”