Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Controversy: Supreme Court To Hear Plea Seeking FIR, CBI Probe
The Supreme Court agreed to consider a plea seeking an FIR and a CBI-led probe into alleged financial irregularities and embezzlement of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya
Supreme Court hears plea seeking an FIR and a CBI-monitored probe into the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donations in Ayodhya.
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to consider a petition seeking registration of an FIR and a court-monitored investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations collected by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya.
The Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi took note of an urgent mentioning by the petitioners and asked them to mention the matter again on June 29 for listing.
The petition has been jointly filed by practising Advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, who have sought a direction for a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation into the alleged financial irregularities concerning the functioning and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The petitioners have urged the Court to direct registration of an FIR and constitute a multi-disciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), contending that an independent probe is necessary to inspire public confidence in the investigation.
According to the plea, the proposed investigation should examine whether any financial misconduct, embezzlement or misappropriation of donations received by the Trust has taken place. The petition argues that a probe by a specialised investigative agency would be more credible than an inquiry conducted solely by administrative officers who may not possess expertise in investigating complex financial crimes.
The plea further submits that the allegations concern not only the possible commission of cognisable offences but also involve the faith, sentiments and confidence of millions of devotees who have contributed donations for the construction and management of the Ram Temple.
The petition comes in the backdrop of developments initiated by the Uttar Pradesh Government earlier this month. On June 13, the State constituted a Special Investigation Team after receiving a request from the temple trust to examine allegations relating to the alleged misappropriation of donations. The State SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
Following the SIT's preliminary report, an FIR was registered on the complaint of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The controversy surfaced after opposition leaders publicly alleged that donations made by devotees had been misappropriated. While the initial allegations suggested irregularities involving approximately Rs. 7 crore to Rs. 7.5 crore, subsequent claims raised the alleged amount to nearly Rs. 200 crore. The allegations have been strongly denied, and the matter is presently under investigation.
Against this backdrop, the petitioners have approached the Supreme Court contending that the allegations warrant judicial oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in the investigation. They argue that the issues transcend ordinary financial disputes and directly impact public trust in one of the country's most prominent religious institutions.
The matter is now expected to be mentioned again before the Supreme Court on June 29 for appropriate directions regarding its listing.
Notably, an First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in connection with the alleged embezzlement of devotees' donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, with police arresting all eight persons named in the case, including the official responsible for cash counting at the temple's pilgrim facilitation centre.
According to police, those arrested include the cash-counting in-charge and several others allegedly associated with the handling, collection and transportation of donation money. Names of arrested persons are- Tinnu Yadav, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Karunesh Pandey and Ramshankar Mishra. The accused have been booked on charges relating to criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal conspiracy and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigators suspect that the alleged misappropriation took place over a period of time through manipulation of the donation collection process.
In a related news, before the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench, a public interest litigation has sought a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged embezzlement of monetary donations as well as gold and silver offerings received at the temple. The petitioner has contended that the matter involves public faith and substantial public contributions, warranting an independent investigation outside the state machinery. The high court has agreed to examine the plea, though no final order has yet been passed on the request for a CBI investigation.