Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 25: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a petition seeking a probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations received by the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and asked the petitioners to mention the matter again on June 29.

A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi heard the request for urgent listing of the plea, which seeks a fair and time-bound investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The petition, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, seeks the constitution of a CBI-led multidisciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of misappropriation of donations and other purported irregularities in the administration of the trust.

During the proceedings, the petitioners informed the court that the plea had been numbered but no hearing date had been assigned.

"This is a PIL and it relates to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It has been numbered but no date is shown," the petitioners submitted.

The bench, however, directed them to mention the matter again on Monday, stating that it would be listed once procedural deficiencies, if any, were rectified. The petitioners maintained that there were no deficiencies in the plea.

Apart from seeking a comprehensive investigation, the petition urges the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the temple trust to establish regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms to ensure transparency and safeguard public confidence in the management of donations.

The plea stated that reports regarding alleged missing funds and financial irregularities had caused concern among devotees and those associated with the long-standing movement for the construction of the Ram temple.

It further argued that a specialised central agency would be better equipped to investigate complex financial transactions and criminal allegations than an administrative-level inquiry.
The petition also questioned the effectiveness of the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, claiming that the panel had begun its inquiry without the registration of a First Information Report (FIR).

On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT following a request from the temple trust after allegations of misappropriation of donations surfaced. The panel comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.

The matter is expected to be mentioned before the apex court again on June 29 for further consideration.