Ram Mandir construction work underway in Ayodhya (picture credit: Twitter/ShriRamTeerth)
Uttar Pradesh
Ram Mandir Trust Bought 1.03 Hectare Of Land For Rs 8 Crore: Report
|On March 18, the same day when the trust bought land for Rs 18 crore, it had struck another deal and purchased one more land for Rs 8 crore directly from the owners.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust bought two different lands —1.208 hectares and 1.037 hectares on the same day, March 18, 2021, at different prices of ₹18.5 crore and ₹8 crore, respectively, reportedly from two different buyers, according to the official records.
This information comes at a time when the Ram Mandir Trust has been accused of committing financial irregularities in connection with the purchase of the land by leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Both the lands belonged to Harish Pathak and Kusum Pathak with the sale deed registered in their names in November 2017, reported The Indian Express.
The trust had 1.208 hectares from Sultan Ansari and property dealer Ravi Mohan Tiwari for ₹18.5 crore on March 18, and the duo had purchased from the Pathak family for ₹2 crore. The deal had triggered controversy with two political parties questioning the deal.
On the same day, on March 18, the trust purchased another land of 1.037 hectares from the Pathak family for ₹8 crore.
According to the document verified by The Indian Express, the land parcels were collectively identified by Gata Numbers 242,243, 244, and 246 and the agreement was signed in September 2019 between Harish Pathak and Kusum Pathak and nine others. The consideration amount was fixed at ₹2 crore.
However, on March 18 this year, the agreement signed in September 2019 was cancelled. 1.208 hectares of land was sold to Ansari and Tiwari for ₹2 crore and the trust purchased it for ₹18 crore. The witnesses for the sale deeds were Trust member Anil Mishra and Ayodhya Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay.
A government official confirmed that once the 2019 agreement was cancelled, the Pathak family was free to sell the land directly to the trust.
'Plot Is A Prime Land'
In a detailed statement on Tuesday, the trust had said that the said plot was prime land as it was adjacent to a road, which will be approaching road to Ram Mandir and be transformed into a four-lane street. The land was purchased at ₹1,423 per square feet, which is less than the actual price in Ayodhya, according to the Trust.
Demand For Probe Under SC Supervision
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded a probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the allegations of corruption in a land deal of the Ram Mandir Trust.
Calling it a big sin, the Congress leader said that any attempt to find an opportunity in faith is an assault on the faith of crores of Indians, reported The Indian Express.
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