NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the new SIT, constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, to file an interim probe report within two weeks. It also highlighted that the focus is now entirely on a speedy and qualitative investigation.
"We will continue to monitor the investigation," said the three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice Surya Kant.
During the course of the hearing on Monday, the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the court that it constituted an SIT headed by Inspector General of Police Kiran S.
The others being Deputy Inspector General Somen Barma, one Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Gaurav Grover and one additional Superintendent of police.
One of the lawyers appearing for a petitioner in the case interjected and questioned him that one independent accountant should also be there to supervise the matter. SG Mehta replied that he will include as such.
Senior Advocate Devdatt Kamat, for the petitioner, argued that people have donated a huge sum of money. But sadly, it has not reached the Trust. "Whatever the Trust got may be shown on a website so that people will know that their money has reached. This is not adversarial," Kamat stated.
Hearing these submissions, the CJI said that the SIT will have access to everything.
The apex court clarified that it will ensure transparency in the case. "The aim is to conduct a high-quality investigation into the entire incident. The investigation must be impartial, swift, and time-bound. Primary focus is currently on the investigation into the theft of donations."
The petitions claimed that there was a lack of transparency in the collection and use of donations for the Ram temple. It sought an independent probe into the accounts of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The Trust has rejected the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated," asserting that all donations are properly recorded and audited.
The PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by advocates Narendra Kumar Goswami, Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav and others sought a court-monitored probe by the CBI and other agencies into the alleged misappropriation of donation funds collected at the Ram Mandir.
The plea also said that there was urgency in the case, as physical, electronic, digital, banking and inventory records relating to donations and offerings at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, Ayodhya are preserved.
"CCTV/DVR/NVR data, QR/UPI/payment gateway logs, hundi registers, counting sheets, bank records, vault-access records, inventory records and all connected material are not destroyed, overwritten, altered, moved, substituted or tampered with. The available CCTV/DVR/NVR footage and digital payment records are forensically copied/hash-sealed. The SIT status/preliminary report, if submitted, is kept available in sealed cover before this Court," the plea added.
The petitioners also submitted that preservation of records will not prejudice a respondent.
"It will not declare guilt. It will not interfere with any religious affair. It will not obstruct temple administration, worship, darshan, rituals, sewa or puja-paddhati. It will only preserve the subject matter of justice," the petition stated.
The petitioners further added that public faith is not weakened by transparency.
"A matter concerning donations and offerings made by millions of devotees cannot be treated as an ordinary private accounting dispute. It concerns constitutional morality, public accountability, fiduciary responsibility and the rule of law in the secular administration of sacred public offerings."
Goswami also stressed that the petition was confined strictly to secular aspects such as receipt, custody, counting, accounting, audit, digital trail, inventory control, CCTV preservation, QR/UPI verification, bank reconciliation and public accountability of donations and offerings.
"It does not seek to touch religious practices protected under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India," the plea stated.