The Supreme Court asked a petitioner to appear on June 29 and place on record his request for an FIR and independent investigation into alleged donation embezzlement at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The plea seeks a CBI-led SIT probe into alleged irregularities.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court asked a petitioner to appear before it on June 29 and place on record his request for registration of an FIR and a fair, independent, and time-bound investigation into allegations of embezzlement involving donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The case was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi.
The petition filed by practising advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav submitted that a CBI-led multi-disciplinary special investigation team (SIT) should probe alleged financial irregularities and other alleged illegal actions relating to the functioning and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
During Thursday’s proceedings, one of the petitioners mentioned the matter and sought listing for hearing on June 29.
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The petitioner said,
“This is a PIL (public interest litigation) and it relates to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It has been numbered but no date is shown,”
The bench said that if there was no deficiency in the petition, the registry would take it up.
The bench said,
“Please approach the registry. If the deficiency is removed, it will be listed,”
The petitioner responded that the petition had been registered and that no deficiencies were pending.
When the petitioner asked that the matter be listed for hearing on June 29, the bench said, “You mention it on Monday (June 29)“.
The petition has sought directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government, and the Trust to set up and operationalise regulatory, supervisory, and audit mechanisms as may be required to protect public interest and maintain the confidence of millions of devotees and donors.
The plea stated,
“Whether or not the reports regarding missing funds and other alleged irregularities concerning the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust are ultimately found to be true, such reports have caused deep concern among the generations that struggled for the restoration of the glory of Ayodhya,”
The petition further said that the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government has started examining the allegations without registration of an FIR or initiation of any regular criminal case.
According to the plea, the truth of the reports regarding alleged missing funds and other purported irregularities involving the Trust should be independently verified through a professional investigation by a unified agency with the necessary expertise, resources, and institutional systems to handle complex financial and criminal matters.
The plea said,
“Such an inquiry would inspire greater public confidence than a preliminary probe conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) comprising administrative officers who may not possess specialised credentials in criminal investigation,”
The petition argued that the issues involved go beyond potential commission of cognisable offences, and directly impact the faith, sentiments, and confidence of countless devotees and the public at large.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on a request from the temple trust, following allegations of misappropriation of donations collected at the Ayodhya Ram temple. The SIT includes Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
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