UP Govt forms SIT in Ram Temple trust row
The allegations regarding donations and financial mismanagement of the Ram Temple trust in Ayodhya have stirred a hornet’s nest in the politically sensitive Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due early next year.
Following the direction of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe allegations regarding the financial management of the temple trust.
Yogi took cognisance after a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The SIT comprises Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow; Kiran S, IPS, Inspector General of Police; and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance Department.
The controversy surfaced earlier this month when Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav claimed that reports had emerged suggesting crores of rupees from donations made to the Ram Temple were missing and urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter. Congress also demanded an independent probe, with Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai seeking an inquiry headed by a sitting high court judge.
Responding to the allegations, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai had said that internal audits were underway and no evidence supporting the claims had emerged so far. He had said representatives of the trust and the State Bank of India were involved in periodic audits and that nothing noteworthy had come to light during the ongoing exercise.
Trust member Mahant Dinendra Das had also expressed confidence in the trust’s functioning and said any inquiry ordered by the Government would be acceptable.
Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra, however, distanced himself from the controversy, saying his responsibility was limited to monitoring construction-related work, and declined to comment on allegations concerning donations and financial irregularities.
The controversy subsequently escalated, with Akhilesh Yadav reiterating his allegations, former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh claiming he was aware of alleged misuse of donations but declining to reveal details, and senior BJP leader Rajneesh Singh writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking public disclosure of the trust’s finances, assets, donations, expenditures, bank accounts and land transactions.
Rajneesh Singh said devotees who had contributed to the construction of the temple had a right to know how donations, including cash, ornaments and other valuables, were being utilised. Responding to the controversy, Uttar Pradesh minister Surya Pratap Shahi had said the trust had already initiated an inquiry and would take action in accordance with its rules and regulations, while maintaining that the matter primarily fell within the trust’s jurisdiction.
