New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear three separate Public Interest Litigations on Monday seeking an independent, court-monitored investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the financial dealings of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The petitions follow allegations of financial irregularities and the misappropriation of donations meant for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana will preside over the matter on July 13 as the apex court resumes its regular schedule. The top court had previously declined requests for an urgent listing of these petitions during its recent partial working days.
The first petition, moved by Narendra Kumar Goswami, demands a CBI investigation alongside a comprehensive audit of the Trust’s finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. A second joint petition by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav seeks a time-bound inquiry by a CBI-led multi-disciplinary Special Investigation Team to probe alleged administrative illegalities and financial mismanagement.
The third PIL, filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament Sudhakar Singh, argues that transferring the probe to the CBI under top court supervision is necessary to protect the offerings of millions of devotees. Singh’s petition requests a complete forensic audit of all assets and transactions, a mandate for the Trust to publish audited statements online, and the preservation of all digital and physical transaction records to prevent tampering. The MP has also urged the court to establish a temporary, independent Oversight Committee of retired judicial officers and financial experts to manage the Trust’s financial decisions during the investigation.
These legal challenges come after the Uttar Pradesh government established its own three-member SIT on June 13 following a request from the temple trust itself. That state-level panel, which includes senior administrative, police, and finance officials, submitted a preliminary report on June 23. This led to a formal police complaint and the arrest of eight individuals associated with counting donations, from whom authorities reportedly recovered 77 lakh rupees. While local police continue their inquiry, similar petitions seeking central oversight remain pending before the Allahabad High Court.
