Ayodhya Temple Theft: AAP's Sanjay Singh Says SIT Going Easy on Corrupt; BJP Wants Action on Journalists, Opposition

New Delhi: As opposition politicians amp up the pressure on the Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the theft of donations to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Bharatiya Janata Party's legal cell has pushed for journalists and politicians from opposing parties to be slapped with notices and made a part of the investigation.

Aam Aadmi Party's Uttar Pradesh in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh launched an attack on the Adityanath government on July 12 over the special investigation team's probe not including the construction work and the alleged land scam in Ayodhya.

Singh claimed that because the temple trust was constituted directly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister lacks the courage to act against those responsible for the corruption.

Singh said that he would approach the court with 26 documentary pieces of evidence to ensure that those who "looted Ram" are punished.

Singh said that even though Adityanath had declared that no one would be spared and that all evidence should be submitted to the SIT, according to recent reports, the SIT will investigate neither the construction work nor the alleged land scam. Singh added that this clearly indicates an attempt to cover up corruption and shield the dishonest.

Singh said engineer Deenanath Verma had informed him that a 40% commission was extracted in the construction of the temple.

He further alleged that land worth Rs 2 crore was resold to the Trust for Rs 18.5 crore within just five minutes. He claimed that nazul land – which can't legally be bought or sold – was transferred for Rs 24 crore. He also claimed there were transactions in which land valued at Rs 9 crore was allegedly purchased for Rs 55 crore and land worth Rs 1.73 crore was purchased for Rs 29.67 crore.

Singh added that if an impartial investigation were conducted, people close to Modi, including Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and BJP leader Rishikesh Upadhyay, would end up behind bars.

In late June, Singh had noted that he had submitted documents to the special investigation team.

"I have handed over all the documents to the SIT. What action will be taken next, only Lord Ram knows," Singh wrote on X.

Singh is among the eight complainants who have approached the Ram Janmbhoomi police station in Ayodhya asking for a first information report to be registered on the issue.

'Make politicians, journalists part of investigation'

Advocate Shashank Shekhar Tripathi, who is senior vice-president of the Varanasi Bar Association and convener of the Bharatiya Janata Party's legal cell at Kashi Prant, has written to the special investigation team probing the theft, asking that public figures including journalists who have made statements about the trust be summoned and their statements be recorded.

Tripathi's letter includes the names of Aam Aadmi Party politicians Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, Congress's Priyanka Gandhi, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshwarnanand, and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.

He has asked for notices be issued to these individuals seeking their cooperation with the investigation and their statements to be formally recorded.

In addition to these names, he called for any other public figures, journalists, or political leaders who have publicly made allegations on this theft to be made a part of the investigation as well.

Tripathi claims in a Hindi letter to the SIT that if any public figure has made allegations on the theft, then "the principles of a fair investigation require that the investigating agency ask them" what the source of their allegations are, what documents they posses, and if they have any audio, video or eye-witness evidence.

"If so, such material should be made part of the investigation," he said.

Any evidence they provide must be made part of the case diary and all electronic and documentary evidence must be subjected to forensic examination, he has added. Tripathi has also pushed for the final report to carry notes on false allegations.

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