SC refuses urgent hearing on PIL seeking Ram Temple donation probe
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined an urgent hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a court-monitored investigation and forensic audit into the handling of donations and offerings received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
However, the apex court assured the petitioner that the matter would be listed by the registry.
Appearing as petitioner-in-person, advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami told a Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi that his immediate request was limited to securing an urgent listing to ensure the preservation of crucial evidence.
The petitioner sought directions for the preservation and production of CCTV footage, DVR recordings, digital payment logs and transaction records related to donations and offerings received at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
Responding to the plea, the Bench headed by Justice Nagarathna said, "The registry will list it. You will get a date."
The PIL seeks a court-monitored probe and forensic audit into the management of donations and offerings received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, citing reports of alleged financial irregularities linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The petition has sought directions for preserving records and evidence related to donations made at the temple, along with greater transparency in the administration of offerings.
According to the plea, offerings made to a deity at a public temple constitute "sacred trust property" vested in the deity as a juristic person. It stated that individuals managing such offerings act as fiduciaries and are bound by duties of transparency, accountability and preservation.
Apart from seeking preservation of all evidence, records, CCTV footage and digital logs related to donations and offerings, the petition has also sought a sealed status report from an ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and an independent forensic audit of all donations, offerings and valuable items received by the Trust since its inception.
The PIL has further urged the Supreme Court to direct the creation of minimum constitutional safeguards for the transparent management of public temple donations and offerings at temples of national importance.
The plea referred to recent developments, stating that the cause of action arose following public reports and the formation of a three-member SIT by the Uttar Pradesh government over allegations of irregularities, misappropriation and mishandling of donations and offerings at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
Clarifying the scope of the petition, the petitioner said it was limited to the secular administration of donations and did not seek interference in religious rituals, customs or denominational matters.
Meanwhile, a three-member SIT headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant recently submitted its preliminary findings to the state government. A detailed investigation into the alleged embezzlement of temple funds is still underway.
With IANS inputs