New Delhi, February 6: Legal luminary and two-time Attorney General of India Keshav Parasaran, who represented Hindu parties in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmbhoomi title dispute case, and Kameshwar Chaupal who belongs to the Scheduled Caste, are among 15 members named as trustees of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra which was approved by the Union Cabinet for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday.
The 15-member Board of Trust include K Parasaran, Jagatguru Shankracharya, Jyothishpeethadheeshwar Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj from Allahabad, Jagatguru Madhavacharya Swami Vishwa Prasannatheerth Ji Maharaj, Pejawar Math in Udupi, Yugpurush Paramanand Ji Maharaj from Haridwar, Swami Govinddev Giri Ji Maharaj from Pune and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra from Ayodhya. K Parasaran, Lead Counsel for Hindu Parties, Emerges Hero in Ayodhya Land Dispute Case.
Anil Mishra, a homoeopathic doctor from Ayodhya, and Kameshwar Chaupal, the Dalit who laid the foundation stone of Ram temple in 1989, are also on the panel. As mandated by the Supreme Court, Mahant Dhirendra Das of Nirmohi Akhara has also been nominated as a trustee. An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who shall not be below the rank of joint secretary and should be a practising Hindu, will represent the central government in the Ram temple trust.
One representative in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra will be nominated by the Uttar Pradesh government who shall be a practising Hindu and an IAS officer and shall not be below the rank of secretary. District Magistrate of Ayodhya will be the ex-officio trustee. If serving DM is not a Hindu than additional magistrate will sit on the board. The chairman for the administration development of Ram temple complex will also be selected by the Board of Trustees and will be an ex-officio.
On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court had awarded the disputed land in Ayodhya to the deity Ram Lalla, paving the way for the construction of a Ram temple. The top court had also directed the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2020 08:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).