A petition was moved in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking the registration of an FIR and a fair, time-bound investigation into the alleged embezzlement of funds linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Filed by two practising advocates, the plea calls for a CBI-led multi-disciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine alleged financial irregularities and other purported illegalities in the functioning and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The petition also seeks directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Trust to establish regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms to safeguard public interest and uphold the confidence of millions of devotees and donors.
"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," said the plea filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav.
According to the petition, the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government has already begun its inquiry without the registration of an FIR or any formal criminal case.
The plea argues that reports of missing funds and other alleged irregularities should be independently verified through a professional investigation conducted by a single agency equipped with the expertise, resources and institutional framework required for complex financial and criminal probes.
"Such an inquiry would inspire greater public confidence than a preliminary probe conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) comprising administrative officers who may not possess specialized credentials in criminal investigation," the plea said.
It further contends that the matter goes beyond the possible commission of cognisable offences and directly impacts the faith, sentiments and trust of countless devotees and members of the public.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT at the request of the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
(With inputs from PTI)