The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday notified the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The Trust is registered at the South Delhi residence of K. Parasaran, senior advocate who appeared in the Supreme Court on behalf of Mahant Suresh Das, a defendant in a law suit filed by the Sunni Waqf Board and others in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.
The Centre appointed Mr. Parasaran to lead the Trust. The Board includes Kameshwar Chaupal, a Dalit leader from Bihar who was among the first to lay the foundation stone for Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in 1989; Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, erstwhile royal from Ayodhya; and Swami Vishwa Prasannateerth of Pejawar Math in Udupi.
The government took a conscious decision not to include any representative from the RSS or the VHP. Shankracharya Swami Saraswati Maharaj from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Anil Mishra, homoeopathic doctor from Ayodhya, and Paramanand Maharaj from Haridwar are among the members.
Contributions
The Trust deed says that the “trustees may accept donations, grants, subscriptions, aids or contribution from any person, government, local authorities or any other institution in cash or in kind, including immovable property/ properties without any conditions or terms inconsistent with this Trust or its objects.”
The deed said that all the other members of the Trust, which includes an IAS officer to be nominated by the Central and State government each, will have to be practising Hindus.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet, “There will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from the Dalit society.”
The Ministry’s notification said a scheme had been approved to “make necessary provisions in regard to functioning of the trust including matters relating to management of the trust, powers of the trustees including construction of the temple and all necessary, incidental and supplemental matters thereto.” “... accordance with the said Scheme, a Trust by the name Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra has been registered with its registered office at R-20, Greater Kailash Part -1, New Delhi, 110048,” the notification said.
Modalities
The Ministry worked on the modalities for establishing the Trust, as mandated by the Supreme Court in its November 9, 2019 ruling. The Trust was to be set up by February 9, within three months of the court order.
The notification said that “taking into account past history of the communal disturbances” and large number of people who will be visiting the temple, the Central government decides to “effectuate the allotment of a suitable land measuring five acres to Sunni Central Waqf Board at a prominent place in Ayodhya, outside the land (67 acres) acquired under the said Act.”
The Ministry said: “In compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, possession of the inner and outer courtyards of the disputed site shall be handed over to the said Trust and the central government is at liberty to make suitable provisions in respect to the rest of the acquired land by handing it over to the said Trust for management and development in terms of the Scheme framed by the Central government.”
