Supreme Court seeks UP SIT status report in Ram Mandir donation probe, to hear CBI plea next week
The Supreme Court on Monday sought a status report from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing donation theft allegations in Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on a batch of public interest litigations (PILs) seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case. The court also directed the SIT, constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, to submit a detailed status report outlining the progress of the investigation and the composition of the probe team.
During the hearing, the Solicitor General opposed issuing a notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. However, the bench decided to issue a notice to the trust as well.
The Chief Justice observed that since an SIT was already investigating the allegations, the court wanted to first assess the progress of the probe before deciding on the petitioners’ demand for a court-monitored CBI investigation.
The Solicitor General informed the court that the SIT’s status report would be filed in a sealed cover. When the petitioners requested a copy of the report, the Solicitor General objected. Responding to the objection, the Chief Justice remarked, “You know the law… Eventually they will see the report.”
The bench also made a light-hearted observation during the proceedings, telling one of the lawyers, “You don’t need to shout here because you need to preserve your voice for outside.”
The petitions relate to allegations that cash and valuables donated by devotees at the Ayodhya Ram Temple were misappropriated.
Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team on June 13 under the chairmanship of Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant to investigate the matter.
The SIT submitted its preliminary findings to the state government on June 23, after which officials said the investigation would continue before a final report was prepared. On July 1, the Uttar Pradesh government extended the SIT’s tenure by 15 days to complete the probe.
According to official sources, the SIT is expected to revisit Ayodhya to examine donation records and question individuals associated with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, along with others involved in the temple’s donation management system.
The Supreme Court has listed the matter for further hearing next Monday, when it is expected to examine the SIT’s status report before considering the plea for a court-monitored CBI investigation.