New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a court-monitored probe into alleged financial irregularities and embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The apex court said the matter would be taken up through the normal listing process after the reopening of regular courts.
The plea, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, seeks a CBI-led multi-agency investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations and valuables received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The petitioners also sought directions for preserving CCTV footage, financial records, bank statements and digital transaction logs linked to the temple donations.
The matter was mentioned before a vacation bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu. During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners argued that crucial electronic evidence could be tampered with if an urgent hearing was not granted. However, the bench declined the request and asked the petitioners to follow the regular procedure for listing the case.
According to reports, the court observed that there was no immediate urgency warranting a special hearing and indicated that the matter could be considered in due course. The plea has also sought a time-bound forensic audit of the temple trust’s finances and greater transparency in the management of public donations.
The petitioners have argued that the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government may not possess the required forensic infrastructure for a complex financial investigation. They have requested the apex court to constitute an independent, court-monitored probe similar to the one ordered in certain other high-profile cases.
The alleged irregularities in the handling of Ram Temple donations have triggered a political controversy, with opposition parties demanding an independent investigation while the Uttar Pradesh government has maintained that the SIT probe is progressing as per law.
