The Legal Eagles Behind Ram Mandir: Meet the Trust Members Who Fought for the Temple

The Legal Eagles Behind Ram Mandir: Meet the Trust Members Who Fought for the Temple.

Introduction

The Ram Mandir legal dispute over the site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh has been one of India’s most protracted legal battles. For decades, the site was claimed by both Hindu and Muslim groups, with Hindus asserting that a Ram temple had stood there before the construction of the Babri Masjid in the 16th century.

In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the disputed land should be divided into thirds, with 1/3 going to the Ram Lalla or Infant Rama represented by the Hindu Mahasabha, 1/3 going to the Islamic Sunni Waqf Board, and the remaining 1/3 going to a Hindu religious denomination Nirmohi Akhara. However, all three parties appealed the decision in the Supreme Court.

Finally, on November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark verdict on the decades-old dispute. In a unanimous decision, the court awarded the entire disputed area of 2.77 acres to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, and directed the government to form a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple. The Muslim parties were awarded 5 acres of land at an alternative site to build a mosque. This paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, a long-held dream of Hindus.

Formation of Ram Mandir Trust

The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was formed on February 5, 2020 to oversee the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. This trust was established per the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute in November 2019.

The Supreme Court directed the government to form a trust within 3 months for the construction of the temple. In compliance, the government established the trust in the mandated timeframe.

The objectives of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust include:

• Construction of a grand temple of Shri Ram at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya
• Management of the 67.703 acre land in Ayodhya acquired under the Supreme Court verdict
• Construction and management of ancillary works including museum, hospital, etc.

The formation of this trust was an important milestone in the decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. It paved the way for the construction of the long-awaited Ram Temple at the disputed site believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Trust Members

The Ram Mandir Trust consists of prominent Hindu religious leaders, advocates who fought the Ram Mandir legal case, and members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The members bring a diverse set of skills and experience to oversee the construction of the Ram Temple.

Nripendra Misra is the chairman of the Ram Mandir Trust. He is a retired bureaucrat who previously served as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His administrative experience will be valuable in executing the temple construction project.

K Parasaran is a 93-year old advocate who was one of the lead lawyers in the Ram Mandir legal case. He has dedicated many years of his life to the temple cause and his legal acumen was instrumental in the Supreme Court verdict. At his advanced age, his presence brings wisdom and continuity to the Trust.

Swami Govind Dev Giri is a prominent Hindu leader and scholar. He is also the treasurer of the Trust and a disciple of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati of Dwarka Peeth. His spiritual knowledge and leadership will guide the Trust’s activities.

Champat Rai is a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) who has been deeply involved in the Ram Mandir movement. He is now the general secretary of the Trust. His longtime association with the VHP means he brings organizational experience in mobilizing Hindu society for this cause.

The inclusion of VHP members reflects their critical role in the decades-long campaign and legal efforts to build a temple at the disputed Ayodhya site. With the Supreme Court paving the way for construction, VHP representation in the Trust will provide continuity in achieving this long-held goal.

Overall, the Ram Mandir Trust is composed of respected figures who have the diverse expertise required to oversee the temple construction for future generations. Their collective experience and dedication to the cause will ensure a grand temple manifests the aspirations of all Hindus.

Nripendra Misra

Nripendra Misra is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer who previously served as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. He has been appointed as the chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which will oversee the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Misra is known for his administrative skills and high level of professionalism. As a former bureaucrat, he brings decades of experience in governance and public administration to this important role. Misra headed the Ayodhya temple construction committee in his capacity as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, giving him valuable insights into the project.

The trustee role will leverage Misra’s abilities to coordinate between various stakeholders and ensure the temple construction goes smoothly. With his background in getting things done in government, he can navigate complex situations and keep timelines on track. Misra is known for his punctuality, work ethic and ethics.

Appointing a well-regarded former civil servant like Misra to chair the trust is a strategic decision. It highlights the government’s emphasis on delivering an effective and timely temple construction through competent and transparent administration. Misra’s sterling reputation lends the effort an air of neutrality, rising above politics.

K Parasaran

K Parasaran is one of the most prominent members of the Ram Mandir Trust. He is a 97-year-old senior advocate who represented the Hindu parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for over three decades.

Parasaran has had an illustrious career spanning over seven decades. He started practicing law in 1953 in the Madras High Court and went on to become the Attorney General of India during the Congress regimes from 1983 to 1989. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2003 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011 for his contributions as a legal luminary.

Despite his advanced age, Parasaran continued to passionately argue for the Hindu parties in the Ayodhya dispute case which he had been involved in since the late 1980s. His arguments in the Supreme Court persuaded the Constitution Bench to rule unanimously in favor of the Hindu parties in the verdict pronounced in November 2019.

The judgment paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Parasaran’s unwavering dedication to the case for over 30 years finally bore fruit. His presence in the Ram Mandir Trust represents the significance of his legal acumen and perseverance in materializing the temple dream.

Champat Rai

Champat Rai is the national vice president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organization that has been at the forefront of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He is known for spearheading the campaign to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the disputed site believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Rai joined the VHP in 1984 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the state vice president in 1991. He was instrumental in mobilizing volunteers and resources for the Ram temple cause. When the VHP launched its mission to collect stones for constructing the temple in 1987, Rai dedicated himself completely to the task. He traveled extensively across North India, rallying support and helping procure the carved stones that would be used for building the temple.

Over the years, Rai emerged as a prominent face and voice of the VHP’s Ayodhya campaign. He was closely involved in negotiations, court hearings, and programs aimed at advocating and advancing the temple cause. Rai coordinated mass mobilizations of kar sevaks or volunteers in the 1980s and 1990s to pressurize the government and raise awareness.

As one of the key temple movement leaders, Rai shared stage with LK Advani during the 1990 rath yatra across India whip up support for building the Ram temple. His fiery speeches calling for the construction of the temple made him popular among grassroots Hindu activists. However, critics have accused him of making provocative statements that fueled tensions between communities.

Now, as a member of the Ram Mandir Trust constituted to oversee the construction of the temple, Rai is expected to leverage his experience and network to complete the grand temple project. Having dedicated over three decades of his life to the cause, Rai’s inclusion in the Trust symbolizes the preeminent role of the VHP in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the realization of its longstanding demands.

Swami Govind Dev Giri

Swami Govind Dev Giri is one of the trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust. He is the Shankaracharya of Jyotish, Dwarka and Puri peeth.

Govind Dev Giri is a respected Hindu spiritual leader and philosopher. He has been involved in mediations between Hindu and Muslim groups regarding the Ram Mandir dispute. His presence on the trust represents the spiritual significance of the Ram temple project.

As Shankaracharya of Puri, Govind Dev Giri oversees important Hindu pilgrimage centers. His experience guiding spiritual matters and mediating conflicts adds wisdom and balance to the trust.

Overall, Swami Govind Dev Giri is an important Hindu voice providing guidance on the construction of the new Ram temple. His expertise and involvement underscores the temple’s religious meaning for Hindus worldwide.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is a prominent Hindu right-wing organization that has been at the forefront of the movement to build a Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya site. The VHP was formed in 1964 with the goal of uniting Hindu organizations and building a resurgent Hinduism.

In the 1980s, the VHP began a campaign to build a Ram temple on the site of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya, claiming that the mosque had been built after demolishing an earlier Ram temple at the same spot. This campaign gained momentum with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 1992, VHP supporters demolished the Babri Masjid, sparking communal violence across the country. This led to prolonged legal battles over ownership of the disputed land. The VHP remained firm in its resolve to build a grand temple for Lord Ram on the site.

With the 2019 Supreme Court verdict handing over the disputed land to a trust for building the Ram temple, the VHP’s long-standing campaign has achieved partial success. Two VHP leaders find a place on the Ram Mandir Trust overseeing temple construction – Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati and Vishnu Hari Dalmia. Their presence represents the VHP’s critical role in the temple movement.

Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas

The Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas is a wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) that has spearheaded campaigns for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The organization was formed in December 1985 with the aim of constructing the temple after the disputed Babri Masjid structure was demolished.

The Nyas has been at the forefront of the legal battle and campaign for the Ram Temple for over three decades. Key figures associated with the Nyas over the years include VHP leaders Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vishnu Hari Dalmia, and Champat Rai. The latter currently serves as the general secretary of the VHP as well as a trustee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust.

The Nyas had spearheaded the Ram Rath Yatra led by LK Advani in 1990 to mobilize support across India for building the temple. It also oversaw the land in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid once stood and where the proposed temple is slated to come up. The organization has been focused on the legal process and negotiations to pave the way for temple construction.

With the Supreme Court verdict in 2019 enabling a Ram Temple to be built, the Nyas stands to see its long-standing campaign come to fruition under the new trust established by the government. The organization and key leaders associated with it are expected to continue playing an active role in the temple construction process.

Conclusion

The formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust marks a significant milestone in the journey towards building a grand temple for Lord Ram in Ayodhya. For decades, the Ram Mandir movement had faced legal and political obstacles. Now, with the Trust in place, the path is clear for construction to finally begin.

The Trust brings together important stakeholders like sadhus, VHP leaders, and legal experts who have fought long legal battles over Ram Mandir. Their presence ensures commitment to the cause as well as smooth coordination between different groups dedicated to building the temple. The constructive spirit of the Trust and its members reflects the peaceful ethos that devotees wish to uphold while fulfilling this long-cherished dream.

More importantly, the Trust signifies unity and diligent efforts towards nation building. The Ram Mandir will be constructed on the principles of harmony, fraternity and inclusiveness that defined Lord Ram’s rule. It will be a modern engineering marvel as well as a spiritual sanctuary open to all sections of society. The Temple Trust shoulders great responsibility, but with collective efforts of Hindus worldwide, it will deliver a fitting tribute to Lord Ram in Ayodhya.