"There should be greater transparency": Karti Chidambaram on Ram Mandir donation row

Karti Chidambaram demanded that the Centre "come clean" regarding the alleged irregularities in the Ram Temple trust.

"The government must come clean because the members of the trust were handpicked by the government. For the government to now distance itself from the trust is not acceptable," he said.

Speaking on the issue, Chidambaram said, "There should be greater transparency regarding the misappropriation allegations involving the Ram Mandir, as this concerns donations made by ordinary citizens. It's incumbent upon the government to ensure transparency."

He added, "Even though the government sometimes distances itself from the trust, everybody knows that this trust was formed by the government specifically to build the temple. Even if the temple trust is not technically a government body, it is a public authority in substance. It should therefore be treated similarly to a government body and be subject to the same transparency, audit, and accountability rules."

Meanwhile, a police team on Wednesday took three accused from the Ayodhya District Jail for custodial interrogation after a local court granted one day of police custody.

The accused - Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra and Karunesh Pandey - were escorted from the district jail to the Ayodhya Police Lines as part of the ongoing investigation into the case.

According to the SIT, CCTV footage reviewed from April 27 to June 5 allegedly showed counting personnel concealing bundles of currency notes and loose cash inside their clothes, pockets, shoes and other hidden places. The report also noted instances where other employees appeared to assist or shield such activities.

The SIT stated that around 70 instances of alleged theft or pilferage were documented during the period under review. Based on CCTV footage, financial records, recovery documents and witness statements, the report identified Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ramashankar Mishra as having prima facie involvement in the case. (ANI)