India, Oct. 18 -- Thousands of members of the Jain community on Friday rallied against the sale of the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Digambar Jain Boarding (SHND hostel) property - a 3.5-acre plot in Model Colony housing a Jain temple and hostel. The protesters accused the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Smarak Trust of "betraying the (Jain) community's faith while selling the trust land in Model Colony to a Pune-based developer".

At the centre of the controversy is a high-value transaction between the trust and Gokhale Landmarks LLP, a Pune-based real estate developer. The proposed project includes 1.6 million square feet of ultra-luxury residential and retail space, with apartments priced from Rs.7 crore onwards. While the developer has pledged to c...