Centre notifies trust to construct Ram temple
New body gets ownership of Ayodhya land, to function from Delhi-based HQ
NEWDELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday formed a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, meeting a three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court, which in November awarded a disputed plot of land in the holy city to Hindu claimants who believe the site marks the birthplace of the revered god.
The decision, acclaimed by allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led government and Hindu religious figures, was announced in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in line with a court directive that a scheme be prepared before February 9 to form such a trust and the land be transferred to it for the temple’s construction.
At the same time, an alternative plot of 5 acres to be given to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board has been identified and was approved by the UP state cabinet on Wednesday for the construction of a mosque. It was not clear if the Sunni Waqf Board would accept the land, situated in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya district.
“I am happy to share with my fellow Indians that important decisions have been taken with regard to Ram Janmabhoomi. These are in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court of India,” Modi said in Parliament to chants of Jai Shri Ram by members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) .
“The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra will be formed. This is the trust that was to be formed in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court of India,” he said, adding that the entire 67.703 acres of land acquired in Ayodhya by the government would be transferred to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra .
“The trust will be autonomous and independent to take decisions on issues related to renovation and construction of the Ram temple,” Modi added.
Home minister Amit Shah said the trust will have 15 members, including one from the Dalit community. The home ministry said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra will have its office in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash neighbourhood.
Late on Wednesday, the Centre announced nine members of the Board of Trustees of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra. Senior Supreme Court lawyer, the 92-year old K Parasaran, who headed a team of lawyers that argued the Hindu case in the courts, will head the trust. In addition, the district magistrate (DM) of Ayodhya will be an ex-officio trustee, who will be a practising Hindu. If the DM is not Hindu, the additional district magistrate will take his place as ex-officio member. The eight other trustees named by the Centre were Jagatguru Shankjaracharya Jyotishpeethadeshwar Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj of Prayagraj; Jagatguru Mahadevacharya Vishwaprasanna Theertha Maharaj of Udupi; Yugpurush Paramananda Ji Maharaj of Haridwar; Swami Govind Dev Ji Maharaj, Pune; Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, the Ayodhya Naresh also referred to as Raja of Ayodhya; Dr Anil Mishra, a practising homeopathic doctor of Ayodhya; Kameshwar Chaupal (Dalit representative) of Patna; and Mahant Dhinendra Das, head of the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu denomination.