CPM Urges Centre To Bring Ram Trust Under RTI

New Delhi: CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has urged the Centre to review its stand that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is not a public authority under the RTI Act, citing the need for transparency and accountability. In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah dated July 4, Brittas said the Trust’s origin and structure warranted reconsideration of the government’s position. He noted that the Trust was constituted following the Supreme Court’s 2019 Ayodhya judgment through a government notification, with land vested in it and a majority of its members initially nominated by the Centre.

Referring to a June 6, 2025 order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) holding that the Trust is not a public authority under the RTI Act, he said the Commission relied on the Home Ministry’s stand and called for its review.

Brittas argued that Section 2(h)(d) of the RTI Act does not distinguish between institutions created independently by the government and those constituted pursuant to judicial directions.

Citing judicial precedents, including Supreme Court rulings and a Delhi High Court judgment on the National Stock Exchange, he said institutions deriving their existence and public character from government action should be interpreted in favour of transparency. He pointed to the continued presence of government representatives, including serving IAS officers from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, in the Trust’s framework as evidence of ongoing institutional association. He said the Trust administers a major religious institution, manages land acquired under a parliamentary law and handles contributions from devotees, which creates an expectation of transparency. Brittas also cited the example of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to argue that autonomy in religious matters can coexist with administrative and financial transparency. He urged the home ministry to place a revised position before the appropriate court to enable a judicial determination on the Trust’s status under the RTI Act.

The issue arises amid an ongoing controversy over alleged embezzlement of donations linked to the Trust.