New Delhi, July 10: The Supreme Court will take up three public interest litigations on Monday seeking an independent, court-supervised investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the financial affairs of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The petitions follow serious allegations of donation misappropriation at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana will hear the arguments on July 13 as the apex court resumes regular operations after its summer recess.
The upcoming hearing follows a prior refusal by the apex court to grant an urgent listing for the matter during its partial working days. Outlining the need for federal intervention, a petition filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament Sudhakar Singh submitted that it is of exceptional public importance to safeguard the administration of the Trust and protect the offerings made by millions of devotees. The lawmaker asserted, “A comprehensive forensic audit of all donations, transactions and assets of the Trust by an independent agency is required.” Singh further maintained that the court should direct the Trust to publish audited financial statements and donation records on its official website in the interest of public transparency.
The ongoing investigation is currently managed at the state level by a Special Investigation Team. The Uttar Pradesh government established the three-member state team on June 13 at the explicit request of the temple trust itself. Led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, alongside Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan, the team submitted its preliminary report on June 23. This led to a formal police case being registered, with Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari currently serving as the lead investigating officer.
State authorities have already arrested eight individuals associated with the case, identifying them as Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav. The arrested individuals were all directly involved in counting cash and valuables received as donations, and police have reportedly recovered 77 lakh rupees from them. Despite these local enforcement actions, multiple petitioners maintain that a wider probe is necessary, with similar legal pleas currently pending before the Allahabad High Court.
The legal challenges represent distinct efforts to overhaul the management of the temple’s substantial funds. A separate petition filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami seeks a concurrent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Meanwhile, a joint plea by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav demands a time-bound inquiry into broad financial irregularities and administrative illegalities. The petitions altogether ask the top court to preserve all digital ledgers, UPI transaction logs, and bank statements to prevent tampering, while requesting a temporary Oversight Committee of retired judicial officers and financial experts to freeze major Trust investments during the inquiry.
