Ram Mandir case: Nirmohi Akhara says Dharam Das was never a member
A day before the Supreme Court hearing, Nirmohi Akhara said Mahant Dharam Das was never its member and cannot speak for it. The claim has brought the Nirmohi Akhara into focus ahead of the Ram Mandir Donation Case Hearings on 20 July 2026.
A day before the Supreme Court hearing in the Ram Mandir donation case, a fresh dispute has surfaced within the Nirmohi Akhara, with its spokesperson claiming that Mahant Dharam Das was never a member of the religious body and has no authority to speak on its behalf.
The Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson also claimed that Mahant Dinendra Das, who was made a member of the Ram Temple Trust by Champat Rai, is no longer the Mahant of the Nirmohi Akhara. According to the spokesperson, Dinendra Das remains associated with the Akhara but does not have decision-making powers within it.
The claims came a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Ram Mandir donation theft case, bringing internal divisions within the Nirmohi Akhara into focus.
'DHARAM DAS WAS NEVER A MEMBER'
In a message, the Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson said Dharam Das had been presenting himself before the media as a Mahant of the Akhara and as its 'Mukhtaar', allegedly authorised by the Sarpanch-Mahant and Panchayat of the Nirmohi Akhara.
"I state that this Dharam Dass was never a member of the Nirmohi Akhara," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further alleged that Dharam Das and others had attacked the Nirmohi Akhara on February 16 and 17, 1982, during a dispute over the Akhara's possession of the Outer Courtyard, including Ram Chabutra.
According to the spokesperson, a criminal FIR was registered in the matter. The spokesperson also referred to arguments made by the Akhara's legal counsels during the Supreme Court hearings in 2019, claiming that the incident was linked to a ‘VHP conspiracy to dispossess the Nirmohi Akhara from the Outer Courtyard’.
The spokesperson said the dispute over the property was later decided in favour of the Nirmohi Akhara by the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench.
The Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson also appealed to media organisations not to seek comments or statements on behalf of the Akhara from Dharam Das or his associates.
"We request that you may please advise your reporters and news desk to not take any comments or statements on behalf of Nirmohi Akhara from the said Dharam Dass or his associates," the message said.
The spokesperson also listed the people authorised to explain Akhara's legal position and provide clarifications on its affairs.
Akhara's legal stand, according to the message, can be explained only by its lawyers Sushil Kumar Jain and Puneet Jain, both Senior Advocates in the Supreme Court, and Tarunjeet Lal Verma, Advocate at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court and Faizabad District Court.
The spokesperson said Mahant Sitaram Das and the spokesperson would provide other specific legal and quasi-legal clarifications, along with current and historical facts related to the application filed in the Supreme Court on July 18, 2026.
The claims regarding Dharam Das and Dinendra Das came at a politically and legally significant moment, with the Supreme Court hearing in the Ram Mandir donation case set to take place amid the reported divisions within the Nirmohi Akhara.
A day before the Supreme Court hearing in the Ram Mandir donation case, a fresh dispute has surfaced within the Nirmohi Akhara, with its spokesperson claiming that Mahant Dharam Das was never a member of the religious body and has no authority to speak on its behalf.
The Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson also claimed that Mahant Dinendra Das, who was made a member of the Ram Temple Trust by Champat Rai, is no longer the Mahant of the Nirmohi Akhara. According to the spokesperson, Dinendra Das remains associated with the Akhara but does not have decision-making powers within it.
The claims came a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Ram Mandir donation theft case, bringing internal divisions within the Nirmohi Akhara into focus.
'DHARAM DAS WAS NEVER A MEMBER'
In a message, the Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson said Dharam Das had been presenting himself before the media as a Mahant of the Akhara and as its 'Mukhtaar', allegedly authorised by the Sarpanch-Mahant and Panchayat of the Nirmohi Akhara.
"I state that this Dharam Dass was never a member of the Nirmohi Akhara," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further alleged that Dharam Das and others had attacked the Nirmohi Akhara on February 16 and 17, 1982, during a dispute over the Akhara's possession of the Outer Courtyard, including Ram Chabutra.
According to the spokesperson, a criminal FIR was registered in the matter. The spokesperson also referred to arguments made by the Akhara's legal counsels during the Supreme Court hearings in 2019, claiming that the incident was linked to a ‘VHP conspiracy to dispossess the Nirmohi Akhara from the Outer Courtyard’.
The spokesperson said the dispute over the property was later decided in favour of the Nirmohi Akhara by the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench.
The Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson also appealed to media organisations not to seek comments or statements on behalf of the Akhara from Dharam Das or his associates.
"We request that you may please advise your reporters and news desk to not take any comments or statements on behalf of Nirmohi Akhara from the said Dharam Dass or his associates," the message said.
The spokesperson also listed the people authorised to explain Akhara's legal position and provide clarifications on its affairs.
Akhara's legal stand, according to the message, can be explained only by its lawyers Sushil Kumar Jain and Puneet Jain, both Senior Advocates in the Supreme Court, and Tarunjeet Lal Verma, Advocate at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court and Faizabad District Court.
The spokesperson said Mahant Sitaram Das and the spokesperson would provide other specific legal and quasi-legal clarifications, along with current and historical facts related to the application filed in the Supreme Court on July 18, 2026.
The claims regarding Dharam Das and Dinendra Das came at a politically and legally significant moment, with the Supreme Court hearing in the Ram Mandir donation case set to take place amid the reported divisions within the Nirmohi Akhara.
A day before the Supreme Court hearing in the Ram Mandir donation case, a fresh dispute has surfaced within the Nirmohi Akhara, with its spokesperson claiming that Mahant Dharam Das was never a member of the religious body and has no authority to speak on its behalf.
The Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson also claimed that Mahant Dinendra Das, who was made a member of the Ram Temple Trust by Champat Rai, is no longer the Mahant of the Nirmohi Akhara. According to the spokesperson, Dinendra Das remains associated with the Akhara but does not have decision-making powers within it.
The claims came a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Ram Mandir donation theft case, bringing internal divisions within the Nirmohi Akhara into focus.
'DHARAM DAS WAS NEVER A MEMBER'
In a message, the Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson said Dharam Das had been presenting himself before the media as a Mahant of the Akhara and as its 'Mukhtaar', allegedly authorised by the Sarpanch-Mahant and Panchayat of the Nirmohi Akhara.
"I state that this Dharam Dass was never a member of the Nirmohi Akhara," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further alleged that Dharam Das and others had attacked the Nirmohi Akhara on February 16 and 17, 1982, during a dispute over the Akhara's possession of the Outer Courtyard, including Ram Chabutra.
According to the spokesperson, a criminal FIR was registered in the matter. The spokesperson also referred to arguments made by the Akhara's legal counsels during the Supreme Court hearings in 2019, claiming that the incident was linked to a ‘VHP conspiracy to dispossess the Nirmohi Akhara from the Outer Courtyard’.
The spokesperson said the dispute over the property was later decided in favour of the Nirmohi Akhara by the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench.
The Nirmohi Akhara spokesperson also appealed to media organisations not to seek comments or statements on behalf of the Akhara from Dharam Das or his associates.
"We request that you may please advise your reporters and news desk to not take any comments or statements on behalf of Nirmohi Akhara from the said Dharam Dass or his associates," the message said.
The spokesperson also listed the people authorised to explain Akhara's legal position and provide clarifications on its affairs.
Akhara's legal stand, according to the message, can be explained only by its lawyers Sushil Kumar Jain and Puneet Jain, both Senior Advocates in the Supreme Court, and Tarunjeet Lal Verma, Advocate at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court and Faizabad District Court.
The spokesperson said Mahant Sitaram Das and the spokesperson would provide other specific legal and quasi-legal clarifications, along with current and historical facts related to the application filed in the Supreme Court on July 18, 2026.
The claims regarding Dharam Das and Dinendra Das came at a politically and legally significant moment, with the Supreme Court hearing in the Ram Mandir donation case set to take place amid the reported divisions within the Nirmohi Akhara.
