The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, to submit a status report on the probe into the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, while indicating that it may consider issuing further directions after examining the progress of the investigation.
Hearing a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the affairs of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also asked the state government to disclose the names of the officials comprising the special investigation team.
“We would like to know who are the members of the special investigation team. Submit a status report. After seeing the report, we may issue some further directions,” the bench, also comprising Justices Joymalia Bagchi and V Mohana, observed.
The court also issued notice to the Fund, stating that its response was necessary before further consideration of the matter.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh government along with Senior Solicitor General Sharan Dev Singh Thakur, informed the court that an investigation is underway.
The hearing assumes significance as the Uttar Pradesh Police investigation into the alleged theft of donations continues, with eight people detained following an FIR based on the SIT probe.
One of the petitions was filed by petitioner in person Narendra Kumar Goswami, who sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged scam along with an audit of the fund’s finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
A separate petition filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, who also appeared in person, seeks similar directions to register an FIR and conduct a fair, independent and specific investigation by the CBI into the alleged diversion of donations collected at the temple.
The third petition, filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, seeks a CBI investigation under court supervision along with a comprehensive forensic audit of the trust’s finances.
Besides seeking a forensic examination of all donations, transactions and assets of the trust by an independent agency, Singh urged the court to direct the preservation of all financial records, including physical documents, digital ledgers, UPI transaction records and bank statements, to prevent any alleged tampering of evidence.
The petition seeks to establish a court-monitored oversight mechanism, and calls for the Fund to be prohibited from making major financial or administrative decisions, including awarding large contracts or investments, using trust funds, creating rights for third parties, or disposing of assets, without obtaining prior approval from the proposed Oversight Committee.
It also sought directions requiring the Trust to file before the Supreme Court a full account of all donations and contributions received since its inception, including cash donations, bank transfers, digital payments, foreign contributions and donations in kind such as gold, silver and other valuables, along with details of accounting, custody and usage.
Additionally, the appeal requests directions for the Fund to publish audited financial statements, donation records and details regarding the use of funds on its official website in the interest of transparency, while protecting confidential donor information where necessary.
