New Delhi, 10 July (H.S.): The Supreme Court will hear on July 13 a petition seeking an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. The matter will be heard by a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan.

The petition has been filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav. It seeks directions to the Central Government, the Uttar Pradesh Government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to establish a robust and transparent mechanism to prevent financial irregularities, stating that the issue concerns the faith and sentiments of millions of devotees.

The petition states that regardless of whether reports of alleged theft or misappropriation of temple donations are true or false, such reports have caused distress to people who have long struggled for the construction and grandeur of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

It further alleges that the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Government began its inquiry without the registration of a First Information Report (FIR). The petition argues that the alleged disappearance of funds and other financial irregularities linked to the Trust should be investigated independently by an agency possessing the expertise required to handle complex financial and criminal investigations.

The SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Government comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General Kiran S., and Special Secretary of the Finance Department Neel Ratan.

Earlier, another advocate, Anoop Awasthi, had written to the Supreme Court requesting it to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and order an investigation. In his letter, he stated that the issue concerns the faith of millions of people across the country and urged the Court to direct a probe under its supervision.

The letter noted that the temple is managed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which was constituted following the Supreme Court's 2020 judgment in the Ayodhya title dispute. It further stated that since the consecration ceremony of the temple on January 22, 2024, large numbers of devotees have been visiting the shrine daily and making donations to the temple.

The letter also referred to allegations of large-scale financial irregularities and corruption involving temple donations, claiming that some former employees and suspects had accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. It noted that although the Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a three-member SIT to investigate the matter, no FIR has been registered so far. The letter contended that a mere administrative inquiry would be inadequate and expressed concern that the matter could eventually be suppressed without a comprehensive criminal investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar