Ram Mandir 'Donation Theft': SC seeks UP SIT report, notice to trust

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Monday sought a status report on the probe into the alleged embezzlement of donation at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. A three-member bench headed by CJI Surya Kant sought the report from the special investigation team constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the matter. SC also sought details of the composition of the SIT.

The bench issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on a batch of public interest litigations, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged financial irregularities and missing funds at the temple.

A petitioner contends that allegations of misappropriation, diversion and embezzlement of public donations meant for the construction of the Ram temple warrant the registration of a criminal case and an independent, time-bound probe.


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According to petitioners, although an SIT is probing the allegations, it lacks the forensic and investigative infrastructure required for a complex financial probe. They argued that the inquiry was initiated without the registration of an FIR, leaving the evidentiary value of its findings vulnerable to challenge.

Some petitioners drew a parallel with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams adulterated ghee case in which SC replaced the state SIT with a multidisciplinary SIT headed by CBI.

The petitioners have sought interim directions to the trust and the UP government to preserve all physical, electronic and financial records, including donation registers, ledgers, CCTV footage, bank records and software databases.

Another PIL has been filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, seeking the transfer of the ongoing probe to CBI under SC supervision.