What Was the Ram Mandir Land Scam? 5-Year-Old Case Brought Into Light Again Amid Investigation in Donation Row

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AS THE INVESTIGATION is underway in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir donation box scam, opposition leaders have also revived a five-year-old alleged land scam from the same trust. Many people are connecting dots, alleging that the Trust has shown corrupt activities since its formation.

What was the Ram Mandir Land Scam of 2021?

The alleged scam was first brought into public knowledge by the opposition leaders, mainly from Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party. 

The central government set up Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in February 2020 to manage the construction of the temple based on the 2019 SC verdict.

In addition to 67 acres of land around Ram Mandir, the Trust acquired permission to buy more land in Ayodhya for Pilgrim facilities, museums, and cultural sites. For this, they bought land near the railway station for ₹18.5 crores. However, as per public records the same land was bought by a Trust employee minutes before for ₹2 crore .

AAP leader Sanjay Singh, along with Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey, alleged corruption within the trust after obtaining these public purchases. They accused Ram Mandir Trust’s general secretary Champat Rai of buying the land at an inflated price when the real price is just ₹2 crore. They demanded an official probe from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging money laundering.

According to records recovered from the opposition, Sultan Ansari and Ram Mohan Tiwari, property dealers in Ayodhya, bought the private land in Bag Bjaisi village, which falls under Sadar Tehsil of Ayodhya district, from the owner Kusum Pathatk at ₹2 crore.

Minutes later, Champat Rai bought the same land from Ansari at ₹18.5 crore. The opposition claims that the deal took place within 10 minutes and both were conducted in presence of the same two witnesses: Ayodhya Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay and a Trust member Anil Mishra, showing Ram Temple Trust’s involvement in the inflated purchase.

See Also: Ram Mandir Donation Row: Temple Trust Successor Seeks Probe, BJP Leader Brijbhushan Singh Alleges Involvement of “Very Powerful People”

Ram Mandir Trust’s response on Land Scam Allegations

Champat Rai, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust general secretary, denied any allegations from the opposition. He maintained that the deal is carried out with full transparency. 

Rai claims that the ₹2 crore deal was a long-standing private contract involving nine people. According to the Trust, in March 2011, the owner of the land, Kusum Pathak and her husband, agreed to sell their private land to real estate agents in the next three years. This contract eventually got extended multiple times before eventually getting sold to Sultan Ansari and Ravi Mohan Tiwari on March 18, 2021. They bought it for the agreed price of ₹2 crore. 

However, Champat Rai claims that after the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing the construction of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, land prices skyrocketed instantly. The land that the Trust was buying was also near Ayodhya railway station, making it an essential site for the trust to build facilities for pilgrims. Champat Rai says the final amount was fixed at ₹1,423 per square feet which was lower than the market price.

Ram Mandir Trust Under Investigation for Donation Scam 

Rajkumar Bhati, spokesperson for Samajwadi Party, recently brought the land scam back into the spotlight. He alleges that the government had ensured that this discrepancy would be looked into and resolved with a probe, “but nothing has been done and no scammer is caught for five years,” Bhati said. The Trust’s explanation was still unsatisfactory for many who demanded an independent probe.

This old case again caught the public attention after the latest donation row in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.  The UP government has formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged donation box embezzlement. The case especially caught notice after Trust employees, who were supposed to be earning ₹15,000-₹20,000 per month, suddenly showed signs of increased wealth. According to reports, the agencies have seized ₹2 crore, in addition to three iPhones and a car from five employees so far. A total of 50 employees are being investigated.

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