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A notice dated February 1, 2019 in a Hindi newspaper from the district authorities in zilla Neemuch, inviting objections to the proposed sale of two Parsi properties in the town has sparked an email war. The notice stated that an application had been made by Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chairman Yazdi Desai and chief executive officer of the Defunct Anjumans Committee (DAC) and Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) vice president, West Zone B Sam Chothia to sell a property called Cawasjee Mansion and another House number 104, both at Pustak Bazar Road in the town. The notice invited objections to the sale by February 28. The Neemuch anjuman had earlier given control of its affairs to FPZAI (see "Faith in the Federation,” Parsiana, May 7, 2017).

 

 

 

 

BPP trustee and DAC member Kersi Randeria has complained that Chothia had not kept him informed of these developments: "Despite reminding you on quite a few occasions, you have not copied me on that mail (about the Neemuch property).” Randeria called upon him to mark all mails related to FPZAI to him.
Chothia replied that he always briefed all the members of the DAC about his work. "I don’t see any reason to send you my correspondence with lawyers and Defunct Anjumans every time. I always inform the chairman of FPZAI (Desai) and vice president of (the) particular zone about the same and also send copy of the same to executive secretary Cawas Panthaky to maintain records at our office,” he stated.
Randeria responded to Chothia stating, "You will recall that you had obtained three quotations for the proposed sale of property in Bhavnagar. You put them up before the DAC. You will obviously also recall that they were fake proposals obtained from non-existent fake builders. It was I who pointed that out. You also proposed sale of the Neemuch property just a few days ago and your buyer offered us one crore for property that we were told is worth 40 crores,” he alleged. Randeria reminded Chothia that he was "an active member of FPZAI and the DAC as well as a trustee of the BPP… which by the way pays all your expenses so why the secrecy?”
Details of the acrimonious exchange were published in the February 17 issue of Parsi Junction printed and published by Parvez Driver, an associate and confidant of former BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta.
Neemuch falls in the North Zone of FPZAI. Vice president of the North Zone Tehemton Anklesaria told Parsiana that he had not been kept in the know of developments.  In response to Parsiana’s queries, Chothia responded that "we (DAC) have always informed him (Anklesaria) about each and everything regarding his Zone.” Chothia  clarified that Anklesaria was present at the April 7, 2018 meeting where a resolution was passed to sell the two Neemuch properties. Anklesaria could not attend the last DAC meeting held on January 9, 2019, Chothia noted. This meeting was called to meet Neemuch resident Darayous Jal who has possession of agricultural land belonging to Neemuch anjuman at Hingoria village near that town. "Since Jal was in Bombay for a couple of days he wanted to discuss his proposal with DAC members. The agenda for the meeting was sent by the chairman (Desai) on January 14, 2019 to all DAC members including Anklesaria… (who) expressed his inability due to a pre-engagement on the same day and suggested to invite Noshir Jal, ex-president of Neemuch (Anjuman) because he knew all the details. We took his advice and invited Noshir Jal who did attend the meeting,” wrote Chothia.
  Father-son duo of advocates Khushru and Rayomand Zaiwala have written to the Neemuch authorities on February 15 requesting them to "reject the aforesaid application,” and have stated that Desai and Chothia have "no right to dispose away the trust properties.” Copies have been circulated via email. The Zaiwalas’ letter calls FPZAI a body "with intent to liquidate the trust properties of the Parsi Zoroastrian community all over India with mala fide intentions.”