CPI(M) MP John Brittas has written a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to bring Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust under the ambit of RTI. At the same time, SIT investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations in Ram temple has also intensified.
New Delhi [भारत]July 5 (ANI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging him to reconsider the Home Ministry’s stand on invoking the Right to Information (RTI) Act on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
In his letter, Brittas drew the Home Minister’s attention to the Central Information Commission’s decision of June 6, 2025, which had held that Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is not a “public authority” within the meaning of Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Brittas said that since the Commission had largely relied on the stance taken by the Home Ministry in arriving at its decision, the Ministry should reconsider its position.
“I respectfully request that the Ministry may please reconsider its stand regarding the applicability of the RTI Act to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, keeping in mind the statutory scheme of the Act and the larger constitutional imperative of transparency and public accountability,” Brittas said in his letter to the Home Minister.
SIT investigation continues in donation embezzlement case
On July 3, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple reached the temple premises to conduct further investigation in the case. On July 1, the state government had given the SIT an extension of 15 days to complete its investigation. This extension has been given to enable the SIT to expand the scope of its investigation and comprehensively investigate all aspects of the case.
After the SIT submitted a preliminary report on June 23, an FIR was registered on June 25 and eight accused were arrested. Subsequently, Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility for the alleged misuse of donations in the Ayodhya Ram temple. The development happened hours after the police arrested all the eight people named in the FIR. Ayodhya police can interrogate the accused present in custody on Sunday. (ANI)
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