Supreme Court Declines Urgent Hearing on Plea Seeking Fair Probe into Ram Temple Donation Row

New Delhi, June 29: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a petition seeking a fair and time-bound investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

A Bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu observed that there was no immediate urgency in the matter and said the petition would be listed for hearing after the court's summer vacation.

"Heavens are not going to fall… What is the urgency," the Bench remarked orally while refusing the request for an early hearing.

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 the alleged financial irregularities and other purported illegalities concerning the affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The plea also seeks directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the temple trust to establish appropriate regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms to safeguard public interest and maintain the confidence of devotees and donors.

According to the petition, reports of alleged missing funds and financial irregularities have raised serious concerns among devotees and those associated with the Ram Temple movement.

"Whether or not the reports regarding missing funds and other alleged irregularities concerning the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust are ultimately found to be true, such reports have caused deep concern among the generations that struggled for the restoration of the glory of Ayodhya," the plea states.

The petition argues that although the Uttar Pradesh government has already constituted an SIT, the inquiry has commenced without the registration of an FIR or any regular criminal case, raising concerns about the scope and effectiveness of the investigation.

It further contends that allegations involving complex financial transactions should be examined by an independent agency with expertise in criminal and financial investigations rather than an administrative committee.

The petition states that an investigation by a professionally equipped agency would inspire greater public confidence than a preliminary inquiry conducted by officials without specialised investigative credentials.

On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT at the request of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust following allegations of misappropriation of temple donations.

The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan, who have been tasked with examining the allegations.

The matter is expected to be taken up by the Supreme Court after the summer break.