Ayodhya: Temple trust dismisses corruption charge, says land deal ‘transparent’

Defending its purchase of a piece of land in Ayodhya for Rs 18.5 crore, alleged at an inflated rate, Ram Janmabhoomi Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai on Monday said the deal was “transparent” and those making the allegations are trying to create confusion in the society.

Rai said, “In connection to the land, there were different agreements in favour of the current sellers in 2011, 2017 and 2019… The price demanded was compared with the current market price, and a final decision was made at Rs 1,423 per sqft, which is much less than the market price of the nearby area… Once the sale deed was made in favour of those who had reached an agreement with the trust, the Teerth Kshetra signed the agreement and got it registered with full transparency,” a statement issued by Rai said.

Rai also claimed the trust had decided that all payments would be made directly into the bank accounts. “Those who made the allegations did not reach out to any of the Trust office bearers to understand the truth, and this created confusion in the society.”

Ravi Mohan Tiwari, one of the two persons who sold the land to the trust, told The Indian Express on Monday that his agreement for the said land was made with Harish Pathak (the original owner as per the documents) in 2011 for Rs 2 crore, but the value of the land increased significantly.

The Indian Express tried to reach Pathak and Sultan Ansari for their comments, but they were not available.