Decide if Ram Temple trust is a public authority: HC to CIC

The Delhi high court has directed the central information commission (CIC) to decide whether Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, set up for the construction and management of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, is a "public authority" and thus accountable to provide information to citizens under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

- Shruti Kakkar

NEW DELHI:

The trust was constituted by the Centre on February 5, 2020 following the Supreme Court's November 2019 ruling in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, paving the way for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. The trust comprises 15 members, including K Parasaran, senior advocate practising in the Supreme Court, Jagatguru Shankaracharya Jyot-ishpeethadhishwar, Swami Vasudevanand Saraswatiji Maharaj, and is headed by Nripendra Mishra.

A bench of justice Sanjeev Narula passed the order while disposing of a petition filed by RTI applicant Neeraj Sharma, whose application under the RTI Act seeking the names of the central public information officers (CPIOs) and the first appellate authority appointed for the temple trust, was turned down by the Union home ministry on the grounds that the trust was an autonomous organisation and did not fall within the ambit of public authority.