Champat Rai declined to provide trust details
Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary Champat Rai declined to provide details regarding the trust’s income, expenditure, donations, bank accounts, land transactions and assets, citing the ongoing SIT probe into allegations linked to the Ram temple project, officials said on Wednesday.
The issue came to light after a complaint submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) by BJP leader Rajneesh Singh was forwarded to the Ayodhya district administration for necessary action.
In a letter dated June 23 addressed to Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Vishu Raja, Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) Indrakant Dwivedi said he had contacted Rai to seek the information sought in the complaint.
According to the letter, Rai informed him that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry was currently underway and that the probe panel was collecting all relevant records and information. In view of the ongoing investigation, the requested information could not be provided at present, the ADM noted.
On June 12, Rajneesh Singh submitted a complaint to the PMO seeking directions to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to place in the public domain complete details of its finances and assets from its inception to date.
The complaint, forwarded by the PMO earlier this week under a reference number, sought disclosure of details relating to funds collected through the Samarpan Nidhi campaign, donations received through various modes, contributions in the form of gold, silver and ornaments, bank accounts and financial transactions, land purchases and sales, expenditure on temple construction and administration, and audit and inspection reports.
In his representation, Singh stated that crores of devotees in India and abroad had contributed to the construction of the Ram temple and therefore had a moral and democratic right to know how the donations and offerings had been utilised.
The development comes amid an ongoing SIT inquiry into allegations relating to financial irregularities and handling of donations connected with the Ram temple project in Ayodhya.
