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Supreme Court closes petitions as Ram Temple donation probe advances (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has disposed of all petitions seeking an independent investigation and audit into the alleged theft of donation money at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The case concerns alleged misappropriation and theft of cash during the counting of offerings received at the temple.
During the hearing, the Uttar Pradesh government informed the court that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to investigate the allegations, had completed its probe and filed a chargesheet before the trial court.
The Supreme Court subsequently clarified that further legal proceedings would take place before the lower court. However, it allowed the petitioners to assist the magistrate as complainants during the trial. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also presented details of the alleged irregularities, including 105 instances of unauthorised cash withdrawals identified during the SIT investigation through CCTV footage.
The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mahadevan.
During the proceedings, the Uttar Pradesh government informed the bench that the SIT had completed its investigation and submitted a chargesheet before the trial court.
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With the investigation complete and the chargesheet filed, the Supreme Court disposed of all the petitions seeking an independent probe and audit into the alleged theft.
While disposing of the petitions, the Supreme Court also made an important provision for the complainants and petitioners.
The bench said that since the matter involved public interest, the petitioners could assist the magistrate as complainants during the trial proceedings before the lower court.
They would be permitted to assist the court in the same manner as the law allows a victim of an offence to participate in the proceedings.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta presented details of the SIT investigation on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government.
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He told the court that some people allegedly took away portions of the cash offerings while donations received at the temple were being counted.
According to the allegations, certain individuals involved in counting the cash would allegedly remove a portion of the donations and keep it for themselves. The money was subsequently deposited into their bank accounts or invested in different places.
CCTV footage has emerged as a crucial part of the investigation. According to the Solicitor General, investigators examined recordings of activities during the counting of donations at the temple and identified 105 instances in which money was allegedly withdrawn without authorisation.
The investigating agency examined the individuals involved and traced the related financial transactions on the basis of these incidents. It also gathered information about where the allegedly stolen money was kept and how it was used.
During the hearing, Mehta also cited an example of alleged financial irregularities involving a property.
He told the court that the investigation had identified a property whose value was shown at around Rs 15 lakh in official documents, although its actual value was found to be approximately Rs 50 lakh.
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The government informed the court that the remaining amount towards the property's purchase was allegedly paid in cash.
The Solicitor General also clarified an important aspect of the investigation, telling the court that all historical remains, artefacts and the main offerings received at the temple were completely safe.
The allegations uncovered during the investigation relate to the alleged removal of cash during the counting of donations and financial irregularities. The government did not report any theft of historical objects or artefacts from the temple.
