SIT Expands Ram Temple Probe To Land Deals After Fresh Irregularity Allegations

Lucknow: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities in the Ram Temple donation and offering collection system has widened its inquiry to examine land transactions linked to the temple trust after fresh allegations of financial irregularities surfaced.

Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday met the SIT and submitted 11 documents related to land purchases made for the temple project. He alleged that several land parcels were acquired at prices many times higher than their market value, causing losses worth crores of rupees to funds collected from devotees.

Singh handed over the documents to SIT chairman and Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and member Neel Ratan, and sought a detailed investigation into the transactions. He claimed that some of the individuals whose names recently surfaced in the alleged donation and donation box irregularities case also appeared to have played a role in the disputed land deals.

Following the submission, SIT officials have begun verification of the documents and the transactions mentioned in them.

According to documents submitted by the AAP leader, Sultan Ansari and Ravi Mohan Tiwari purchased land bearing Gata numbers 243, 244 and 246 from Kusum Pathak and Harish Pathak for Rs 2 crore on March 18, 2021. Singh alleged that the same land was sold to the temple trust later the same day for Rs 18.5 crore, resulting in a price difference of around Rs 16.5 crore.

He further alleged that the sale deed was witnessed by then Ayodhya mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay and trust member Anil Mishra.

In another transaction cited in the documents, Singh claimed that Deep Narayan, nephew of former mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay, purchased a plot of land for Rs 20 lakh in February 2021 and sold it to the trust for Rs 2.5 crore in May the same year. He alleged that the deal generated a profit of about Rs 2.3 crore.

The documents also mention another parcel of land received as a donation that was later sold to the trust for Rs 1 crore, Singh claimed.

The AAP MP further alleged that land bearing Gata number 247, valued at around Rs 2.93 crore, was purchased in April 2024 for Rs 23.61 crore. He claimed that revenue records had identified the land as nazul or government land.

In another transaction, Singh alleged that land valued at around Rs 9 crore was purchased for Rs 55.47 crore in November 2023. He further claimed that while the government was acquiring land in the area from farmers at around Rs 4.40 lakh per biswa, the trust purchased land at nearly Rs 47 lakh per biswa.

The documents submitted to the SIT also allege that land worth Rs 4.97 crore was purchased for Rs 8 crore, land valued at Rs 41.60 lakh was acquired for Rs 2 crore, and a parcel worth Rs 92.50 lakh was bought for Rs 5.60 crore.

Singh has demanded an independent investigation into land transactions linked to Mahant Raghuvar Sharan and Yashoda Nandan Tripathi as well.

The allegations come days after the SIT began examining alleged irregularities related to offerings and donations at the Ram Temple. The investigation is ongoing, and no official findings have yet been made public regarding either the donation-related allegations or the land transactions cited in the documents submitted by the AAP leader.