Former Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Tuesday, 23 June called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to dismiss all office-bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust over an alleged donation-related controversy. Speaking from Ghaziabad, Krishnam said the issue had wounded the sentiments of millions of devotees and demanded visible accountability.

What Krishnam Said

“Questions have been raised regarding some office-bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, and concerns have been expressed against them. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple is a centre of faith for us, and the issue has hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees,” Krishnam said. He added that all office-bearers should resign “fulfilling their moral responsibility, until justice is delivered,” stressing that “justice is important, but it is even more important that justice be seen to be done.”

Krishnam further argued that the trust commands the faith of crores of Indians, and that any allegation of “theft or irregularities” at such an institution demands immediate corrective action. “Change is a natural process, and when an issue becomes this serious and is linked to the faith of the people, it demands immediate attention,” he said, directly appealing to both Modi and Adityanath to act.

Supreme Court PIL Seeking CBI-SIT Probe

Krishnam’s remarks come a day after a fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was moved before the Supreme Court on Monday, 22 June, seeking registration of an FIR and a court-monitored investigation by a CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the trust’s financial affairs. The petition was filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav.

According to the plea, allegations disclosed in media reports and other publicly available material prima facie indicate “serious instances of dishonest misappropriation, diversion, embezzlement and breach of trust” relating to public donations and funds entrusted for the construction and administration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. The petition seeks a “fair, impartial, comprehensive and time-bound investigation” into these allegations.

Krishnam on the Bharat Tiwari Encounter

Separately, Krishnam also weighed in on the Bharat Tiwari encounter case in Bihar, alleging it was an extrajudicial killing. “Everyone knows that these are fake encounters. People are first arrested, restrained, and then shot. Extrajudicial killings should not be allowed anywhere. These are not encounters; they are killings,” he said. He drew a distinction between genuine encounters with criminals, which he said should be “appreciated,” and targeted killings of individuals raising public concerns, which he termed “a crime.”

Krishnam additionally alleged that targeting Brahmin youths had become a concerning trend and called for “comprehensive deliberation” on such incidents. “What will people do except protest? Murder is murder,” he said.

Background and Broader Context

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was constituted by the Centre in 2020 to oversee the construction and administration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, consecrated in January 2024. The trust has since been at the centre of a growing controversy over the management of the substantial public donations it received. This is the first time a formal legal challenge via the Supreme Court has been mounted specifically seeking a CBI-led probe into the trust’s finances. The involvement of a former Congress leader calling on a BJP government to act adds a cross-party dimension to the accountability pressure building around the trust.

With the PIL now before the Supreme Court and public figures from across the political spectrum raising questions, the trust’s leadership faces mounting pressure to respond formally to the allegations.