Congress MP Venugopal Seeks Supreme Court-Monitored Probe into Ram Temple Trust Scam, Says 'Big Fish' Must Not Escape
NEW DELHI/SHIMLA, JULY 2: Even as the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged multi-crore irregularities linked to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, senior Congress leader and MP K.C. Venugopal has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a Supreme Court-monitored independent investigation into the alleged scam.
The letter, accessed by HimbuMail, comes amid mounting political controversy over the alleged land transactions and financial irregularities surrounding the Trust.
While acknowledging the ongoing investigation, Venugopal, also member of Public Account Committee expressed apprehension that the probe could be used to "erase the remaining evidence" while shielding the "big fish" who allegedly orchestrated the multi-crore embezzlement.
Calling it a matter warranting the highest level of accountability, Venugopal reminded the Prime Minister that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was constituted by the Government of India in 2020 following the Supreme Court's Ayodhya judgment, with the Trust functioning as a public institution.
"These facts underscore that the Trust is a public institution and must, therefore, be held to the highest standards of probity, transparency and accountability," he wrote.
The Congress MP alleged that the purported fraud, involving claims stretching into hundreds of crores of rupees, amounted to a monumental betrayal of the faith of millions of devotees.
"Lord Ram is revered as the embodiment of justice and righteousness. Allowing allegations of this nature to be buried, rather than impartially investigated, would be a profound injustice to His devotees and to the values He embodies," Venugopal said in the letter.
He further argued that it was the moral responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Union Government to restore the faith of over 1.4 billion Indians in the Government's ability to safeguard public donations and preserve the sanctity of an institution established in the name of Lord Ram.
Demanding immediate intervention, Venugopal urged the Prime Minister to entrust the case to a high-level independent agency under the strict supervision of the Supreme Court of India, contending that only such a probe would inspire public confidence and ensure complete transparency.
The Congress leader's intervention has added a fresh political dimension to the controversy
Opposition questions whether the SIT ordered by the Yogi Adityanath government will reach the alleged masterminds behind the scam or remain confined to lower-level functionaries. 
So far eight connected with the Trust have been arrested, but Master minds remain outside the SIT net so far.
His letter raises concerns that unless the investigation is independently monitored, the alleged "big fish" could evade accountability.
The Union Government has not issued any official response to Venugopal's allegations or his demand for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation.
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