Addressing a press conference, Patel dismissed reports that the board members were not concerned with the case. ``But we did not publicise our grief, nor were we aware of Gadhadharanand's whereabouts. Since the CBI now says the six accused have a hand in his murder, I will propose they be suspended at Thursday's board meeting. The suspension, however, will require the consensus of the seven board members'', he said.

While maintaining he was not aware of the accused's ``criminal face'', Patel alleged that it was Gadadharanand who had vested interests in the transfer of some temple functionaries. ``And that was why the sect head, Acharya Shree Ajendra Prasad telephoned Gadadharanand from Nashik: to ask him to push back the transfers and not do it haphazardly'', he said.

Like the Acharya, Patel, too, said only Acharyas -- not priests -- should not be required to deal with cash, property and temple assets. However, he said, following a 1976 High Court fiat, powers to appoint and transfer priests had been entrusted to the Board, in which the Acharya did not have any role.

Patel said Thursday's board meeting would also decide on the new functionaries to be appointed in place of the accused, who are currently in CBI custody.

Interestingly, he claimed that there has been no groupism in the Board, or lobbies of Dev (devotees) and Acharya (descendants of Lord Swaminarayan family) supporters and that it was all baseless propaganda by the Press.