Former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Amid the Ayodhya Ram Temple funds embezzlement case, social activist and former Indian Police Service officer Amitabh Thakur on Friday (July 3, 2026) stressed the need for transparency and accountability in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He asked the Trust to place its trust documents, annual reports and financial statements in the public domain so that public faith was restored.
Mr. Thakur told The Hindu that the recent developments concerning the Trust had reinforced the very issues of transparency and accountability that he had consistently raised much earlier.
On February 26, 2024, he had requested the Trust to voluntarily place its trust documents, annual reports and financial statements in the public domain. When no meaningful action followed, he sent another representation on June 7, 2025.
“The Trust says its accounts have never been audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and reiterated that it is an independent and autonomous body. I would again request the Trust to place its trust documents, annual reports and financial statements in the public domain,” said the former 1992-batch IPS officer. Mr. Thakur also heads Azad Adhikar Sena, a political outfit.
Eight persons accused in the case have been arrested and sent to judicial custody till July 13.
Published – July 03, 2026 11:12 pm IST
