Dharamsala, Mar 6 (PTI) Buddhist spiritual leader Ogyen Trinley Dorje today approached a local court, seeking exemption from his personal appearance, in connection with recovery of foreign and Indian currencies worth Rs 7 million from his monastery last year. Narendra Pal Singh, lawyer of the Karmapa's office of administration, appeared on Karmapa's behalf before a court in Una, seeking exemption for the 26-year-old spiritual guru. Singh also applied for an anticipatory bail. "We have applied for the exemption of his appearance in court as the Karmapa is in Bodh Gaya presiding over an important religious Puja," Singh said on phone. He said that The Karmapa has not even been served the court summons so far. The Chief Judicial Magistrate had asked the Karmapa and nine others, including his aides, to appear personally in the court on March 6. The Karmapa has been charged under penal provisions related to conspiracy. Singh told the court that the charge sheet is mainly against the people who are involved in selling land to the Karmae Garchen Trust for cheating and forgery. In his statement he submitted that even though the Karmapa heads the trust he has never attended even a single meeting which involves building a permanent structure in Dharamsala, nor has he played any administrative, financial or management role . These duties are held by his administrative office. "The Karmapa has expressed his feelings of hurt, he has also said that he has great faith in the Indian judicial system and has the highest respect for the democratic values of this country," Singh said. A charge sheet was filed by the state police against him in December last year . The Karmapa is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism. PTI PCL
