Today, On 20th December, The Delhi High Court declined to consider a petition that sought to classify the Ram Janmbhoomi Trust as a public authority. The plea argued that the Trust should fall under the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. However, the court determined that the Trust did not fulfill the criteria required to be recognized as a public authority.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court declined to entertain a petition aimed at designating the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as a public authority.
The petition, filed by Neeraj Kumar, challenged the Central Information Commission’s (CIC) decision from July 8, 2022, which had refused to provide information regarding the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) and the First Appellate Authority of the Trust.
Kumar had also submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in July 2022, seeking similar details, but it was rejected.
The MHA contended that the “Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is not owned, controlled, or financed by the Government of India, and thus does not meet the criteria to be classified as a public authority.“
Represented by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Kumar sought the Delhi High Court’s intervention to overturn the CIC’s ruling.
The bench, led by Justice Sanjeev Narula, heard the case.
The MHA and the Ram Janmabhumi Trust opposed the petition, with senior advocates Chetan Sharma (ASG) and Nishant Gautam (CGSC) arguing that the Trust is an autonomous body and should not be classified as a public authority.
After thorough deliberation, the court chose not to intervene and disposed of the petition, directing the parties to present their case before the CIC.
The Ram Janmbhoomi Trust established in 2020 following the Supreme Court of India’s 2019 ruling on the Ayodhya dispute. The Court decided that the land, where the Babri Masjid once stood, would be given to Hindus for building the Ram temple, while an alternative piece of land would be provided for a mosque. The trust was created to manage the construction of the temple and handle its finances.
A public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Delhi High Court, asking for the Trust to be treated as a public authority under the RTI Act. The petitioners argued that since the government played a major role in forming the trust and its activities involve public funds and interests, the trust should be required to provide information under RTI.