Ram Temple Donation Case: Supreme Court Closes Probe Pleas After SIT Chargesheet

The Supreme Court on Monday, 2 November, closed a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations at Ayodhya, after the Uttar Pradesh government told it that the court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) had filed a chargesheet. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed that the trial go ahead before the local court in Ayodhya.

Petitioners Can Assist the Trial Court

The bench took the State’s status report on record and allowed the petitioners, including the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, to assist the Ayodhya magistrate during the trial. The court said it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case. It also declined to entertain a fresh plea on whether the temple stands on land covered by the main Ayodhya dispute.

For donors and the public, the question of who is accountable now moves from the Supreme Court to the trial court, where the chargesheet will be tested.

Also read Ayodhya Land Acquisition: Supreme Court Reserves Verdict on Housing Schemes

What the State Told the Court

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the UP government, told the bench that the SIT found donations were embezzled during the counting process. According to the PTI report, some accused invested the money in property while others kept it in bank deposits. Mehta said investigators traced the money through banks, and in one property deal the sale deed showed ₹15 lakh paid against an actual cost of ₹50 lakh, with the balance likely paid in cash. An audit was also carried out, he said, and the temple’s artefacts were found intact. The reports do not name the accused or say how many there are.

Earlier Demands for a Wider Probe

Several petitions had asked for an independent investigation. RJD MP Sudhakar Singh had earlier sought a CBI probe and a forensic audit of the temple trust’s finances. On 21 September the SIT, a four-member team headed by IGP Kiran S, told the court it would file its first chargesheet on or before 25 September.

Trial Moves to Ayodhya

The Judicial Magistrate at Ayodhya will now proceed with the case under the law. No hearing date has been reported, and the chargesheet itself has not been made public.

Read more: Daily Updates on ipbnews.in, and our earlier court coverage, Aruna Roy case: Supreme Court on voter awareness.

Source: Based on reporting by Siasat Daily (PTI) and Deccan Chronicle (PTI).

Image: Supreme Court of India / Wikimedia Commons.