A bombshell dossier submitted to the Rector Major’s Office in Rome has ignited a firestorm within the Salesian Order, exposing what donors describe as a “monumental real estate fraud” and a “grotesque inversion” of the Don Bosco mission.
The donor family, which includes two senior clerics with decades of ecclesiastical service, has gone public with allegations that the Salesians of the Chennai Province systematically liquidated land donated for the poor to serve “vested interests.” These whistleblowers are now demanding a high-level Congregational Enquiry, specifically calling for an investigation into a “Who’s Who” of provincial leadership—including former Provincials and the current Rector of the prestigious Don Bosco Egmore.
The “27-Day Betrayal”: From Sacred Vows to Secret Sales
The scandal centers on a prime tract of land in Pannur, Tiruvallur, donated in July 2013 for the sole purpose of building an Engineering College for rural youth. The then-Provincial, Fr. Jayapalan Raphael, issued a signed and sealed certification on July 24, 2013, confirming the gift’s sacred purpose.
However, the dossier reveals a chilling timeline of deception:
- July 24, 2013: The then-Provincial, Fr. Jayapalan Raphael, issues a signed and sealed certification confirming the land was donated solely for a rural Engineering College.
- August 13, 2013: A public foundation stone laying ceremony is held, attended by family members from across the globe.
- August 20, 2013: Just 27 days after the Provincial’s written assurance, a registered document was executed that stripped away all donor conditions. The family alleges this document was drafted in secret by Fr. Don Bosco and a private builder. The contents were neither shown nor read to the signatories before they signed; as the owners, the family was never given a draft for approval or a copy of the final document.
- On the same day, Fr. Arokiya Doss, representing the Pannur Don Bosco Society, allegedly signed away the property via a General Power of Attorney to a private builder named Mr. Antony.
The Province allegedly kept these documents “secretly hidden” for over eleven years. They were only revealed in October 2024 after the family was shockingly informed they had “no claim” over their own property. The family describes this act as “mischief and forgery done with a dagger at our back”.
“Da Mihi Assets”: Nine Months to Total Liquidation
The investigative trail suggests the Province functioned less like a religious mission and more like a real estate brokerage. Registration records show the land was rapidly carved up and sold to private individuals.
Registration and encumbrance records reveal a chilling efficiency in the sale of the land. Within just nine months of the Power of Attorney being granted, the entire property was sold off in parts to private individuals.
- Rapid Sales: Between January and May 2014, the land was systematically carved up and sold.
- Market Disparity: Approximately 179,640 sq.ft. of land meant for the poor was liquidated for a recorded 14 Crore INR (approx. $1.6M USD).
“Don Bosco’s sacred charism, ‘Da mihi animas, caetera tolle’ (Give me souls, take away the rest), has been grotesquely inverted into ‘Da mihi assets’,” the family stated in their appeal. They describe a “moral collapse” that has seen donor trust traded for commercial profit.
The “Circle of Silence”: High-Ranking Salesians Named
The donors insist that a fraud of this magnitude could not have been carried out by a single individual. They are demanding that an congregational enquiry scrutinize the roles and financial trails of several high-ranking officials, including:
- Fr. Don Bosco
- Fr. Arokiya Doss
- Fr. Jayapalan Raphael
- Fr. Antonyraj Chinnappan
- Fr. Sagayaraj Philominathan
- Fr. Joe Deva
- Fr. Xavier Packia
- Fr. K. M. Jose
- Fr. Edwin Vasanthan
Institutional Gaslighting and the Archbishop’s Failed Mediation
The dossier details a harrowing pattern of “institutional gaslighting.” In 2022, the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore mediated a settlement where the Province agreed to return equivalent land. The family accepted, but the Province—under its current leadership—allegedly reneged on the deal, later claiming the family had “no claim” over their own donated property.
The family also slammed the Regional Councillor for South Asia, Fr. Biju Michael, for a “violation of natural justice” after he directed the victims to seek a resolution from the very provincial authorities they are accusing.
A Formal Demand for Justice
The family’s appeal to the Rector Major is clear and uncompromising. They demand that the enquiry determine:
- Authorization: Who authorized Fr. Arokiya Doss to nominate an outsider to exercise Power of Attorney over donor property, and is it an “acceptable practice” to permit the sale of contributions meant for a charitable purpose?
- Institutional Silence: How and why the Chennai Province remained silent while the property was systematically sold off?
- Control: Who exercised effective control over these specific real estate transactions?
- Profiteering: The family expresses astonishment that the question of who benefited from the proceeds of these transactions has not yet been treated as a matter of serious concern by Salesian authorities.
With surviving family members now in their 60s and 80s, the demand for justice has reached a breaking point. The family warns that if the Salesian framework fails to provide accountability, they will seek justice through alternative legal frameworks.
The Pannur Land Scandal now stands as a defining test for the Rector Major in Rome: will the Order protect its power structure, or will it uphold the integrity of its founder?
