Congress Demands Probe Into Ayodhya Land Deal Under Supreme Court Supervision: Randeep Surjewala

Congress Demands Supreme Court-Monitored Probe Into Ayodhya Land Deal.

Congress called alleged irregularity in purchase of land a "big scam" and said because "the trust was established on the direction of the Supreme Court, the court should take cognisance of the issue". 

On Monday, Congress called for an investigation in the High Court over allegations of misappropriation of land in Ayodhya by the Ram temple trust.

Speaking at a press conference, Congress Secretary-General and party spokesman Randeep Surjewala on Monday called the land acquisition a "big scam" and said that because "trust was established by a Supreme Court order, the court should take the matter seriously and investigate the matter."

"The money received as donations and expenses incurred by the trust must also be assessed under the supervision of the Supreme Court," he added.

However, he added that Congress does not want to halt the proposed construction of the Ram temple.

The controversy erupted after Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Tej Narayan Pandey on Sunday accused Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust of corruption in the international agreement and sought a CBI investigation into the matter.
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Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, Pandey said, "The former site was bought for ro 2 crores by Ravi Mohan Tiwari and Sultan Ansari. 10 minutes later, the Trust bought the land by 18.5 crores on March 18." SP Leader also said ₹ 17 crore was sent to Ravi Mohan Tiwari and Sultan Ansari's bank account via RTGS payment method and demanded an investigation into RTGS money transfers.

Following the SP, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh, also made similar allegations.

Dismissing allegations of fraudulent purchase of expensive land for Ram's temple buildings, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Secretary-General Champat Rai said the charges were "misleading and motivated by political hatred".

In February 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of the `Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust 'which will oversee the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, about three months after the Supreme Court ruling in the decades-long case.

In November 2019, a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court had unanimously ruled in favor of Ram Lalla. It said all the disputed land spread over 2.7 hectares would be transferred to a government-funded fund, which would oversee the construction of the Ram temple in the area. The court has asked the government to give the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya five hectares of land to build a Muslim church.