The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which runs the Ram Temple complex in Ayodhya, is an independent body which is not under control or funded by the Central or Uttar Pradesh governments as it is not part of the central government's planning, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in its submission to the Central Information Commission (CIC).
The clarification is important even as the trust is under scrutiny after the theft of donations by devotees at the Ram Mandir. The police are still investigating the embezzlement of cash and valuables but the MHA has maintained that the trust is independent and decides its own administrative and operational decisions.
According to the MHA's representations before the CIC in February last year, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was established only to implement the Supreme Court's landmark Ayodhya verdict of November 9, 2019. The Ministry said, in fact, that the Centre was only concerned with establishing the trust in accordance with the Supreme Court's order and it has no financial, administrative or operational control over its functioning.
The ministry further added that neither the Union Government nor Uttar Pradesh Government provides financial assistance to the trust. The trust has complete authority to manage its affairs in its own right, including management, finances and the operation of the temple.
The issue was before the Central Information Commission after an applicant sought information regarding the trust under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The trust is to be considered as a “public authority” under the Supreme Court’s direction, argued the applicant. A majority of the original trustees were nominated under the government-regulated scheme and nearly 70 acres of acquired land had been transferred to the trust.
However, both the MHA and the trust argued that these factors do not amount to government ownership, control or substantial financing, which are key requirements for an organisation to be classified as a public authority under the RTI Act.
After reviewing the information, the Central Information Commission agreed with the ministry’s position. The trust was established in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment and not through legislation passed by Parliament or a state legislature, the commission said. It added that there is no deep or pervasive government control over the trust and that it does not receive sufficient government funding.
Based on these findings, the CIC found that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust does not fall under the definition of a "public authority" under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act and is therefore not obligated to provide information under the transparency law.
The clarification comes at a time when the Ram Temple trust is the center of a high-profile investigation into financial irregularities involving donations made by devotees. They were detected in the counting of the donations at the temple and an FIR was filed by Uttar Pradesh Police.
So far, eight people have been arrested for the alleged theft. The suspects allegedly worked out a way to siphon off donation money over a period of months, police said. Police claim they discovered CCTV blind spots in the temple complex and were able to hide money in washrooms and later to clear the area.
Investigators have also claimed that CCTV footage was routinely overwritten every 45 days, making it difficult to trace thefts over a long period of time. The embezzlement investigation is ongoing and the trust is still cooperating with the authorities.
The clarification by the MHA before CIC has now made the legal status of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust more clear: although established as a result of the Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme Court, it is an autonomous body, without the involvement of government or funding.
