The Supreme Court on July 20 continued hearing a batch of petitions seeking an independent investigation into allegations of financial irregularities concerning donations made to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. During the proceedings, the Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to clarify whether a Special Investigation Team (SIT) could be entrusted with carrying out the investigation and fixed the matter for further hearing on July 27.
The case was heard by a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai Kant, which reviewed the status report submitted by the state in compliance with its earlier directions. The report outlined the progress made so far in examining the allegations surrounding the alleged misappropriation and diversion of public donations collected for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Kant sought clarity on the present status of the investigation and asked the state, “Who is investigating now?”
Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Bench that an SIT had initially been constituted to examine whether a cognisable offence had been committed. According to him, the SIT’s role was limited to determining the veracity of the allegations. Once it concluded that a cognisable offence appeared to exist, the investigation was transferred to the regular police machinery.
“The Special Investigation Team was constituted to ascertain the truthfulness of the allegations. Now the matter is being investigated by the police. The SIT only concluded that a cognisable offence was made out,” Mehta submitted before the Court.
After hearing the submission, the Bench indicated that it wished to examine whether the investigation itself should be conducted by an SIT comprising senior officers.
“We will take up the matter after three or four days and also consider the aspect of investigation. The earlier SIT had senior members. Please obtain instructions on whether an SIT can be formed for the investigation itself,” the Bench observed.
Responding to the Court’s query, Mehta assured the Bench that the state government would obtain the necessary instructions and place its stand on record before the next hearing.
The petitions before the Court have sought an independent and time-bound investigation into allegations of dishonest misappropriation, diversion and embezzlement of donations collected from devotees for the construction of the Ram Temple. The petitioners contend that given the public nature of the donations and the national significance of the project, the allegations require an impartial and transparent probe.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for one of the petitioners, emphasised that the issue was one of public accountability.
“Our public interest litigation states that when the temple was being constructed, donations were collected from people across the country. We are only seeking that all donation receipts are preserved and uploaded so that transparency is maintained,” Kamat submitted.
The Court responded positively to the request, observing that the issue would be examined during the course of the proceedings.
Other lawyers appearing in the matter also requested the Court to issue directions for preserving digital and electronic records connected with the case. They urged that the First Information Report (FIR) registered in connection with the allegations should also be uploaded to ensure transparency and public confidence in the investigation.
Solicitor General Mehta assured the Court that all records relevant to the investigation had already been preserved and that there was no apprehension regarding destruction of evidence.
Taking note of the submissions, the Bench stated that it would hear the matter again on July 27 and consider issuing further directions.
One of the petitions has been filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav. They have argued that allegations involving the misuse of public donations warrant registration of a criminal case and an independent investigation conducted within a fixed time frame.
According to the petitioners, the earlier SIT lacked the specialised forensic and financial investigation capabilities required to examine complex allegations involving financial transactions. They have also argued that the preliminary inquiry was conducted before the registration of an FIR, making its findings vulnerable to legal challenge during subsequent criminal proceedings.
The petition draws a comparison with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam adulterated ghee case, where the Supreme Court had, in October 2024, replaced the state government’s SIT with an independent multidisciplinary SIT headed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The petitioners contend that a similar approach may be appropriate in the present matter given the public importance of the allegations.
They have further sought interim directions directing the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and the Uttar Pradesh government to preserve all financial and administrative records connected with the temple project. These include donation registers, accounting ledgers, bank statements, software databases, CCTV footage and other electronic records that may be relevant to the investigation.
Another petition has been filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Sudhakar Singh, who has sought transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
The petition also requests the constitution of a temporary court-monitored oversight committee consisting of retired judicial officers, financial experts and persons of impeccable integrity. According to the petitioner, such a committee would oversee the Trust’s financial and administrative affairs during the pendency of the investigation to ensure transparency and maintain public confidence.
Singh has additionally sought directions requiring preservation of all electronic and physical financial records, including bank documents, UPI transaction logs, account books, CCTV recordings, emails and server data, so that no evidence is lost or tampered with during the course of the investigation.
The petition also seeks a direction requiring the Trust to periodically publish audited financial statements, donation details and utilisation of funds on its official website, while ensuring that the personal information of individual donors remains protected.
During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report regarding the investigation and had also sought a response from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. With the matter now listed for hearing on July 27, the Court is expected to consider whether an SIT should formally take over the investigation and what additional safeguards may be required to ensure a transparent and credible probe into the allegations.
