The Supreme Court on Monday said it had expressed no opinion on the merits of the Ayodhya Ram temple donation embezzlement case and left the trial to proceed before the local court, while disposing of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged misappropriation.
The Uttar Pradesh government informed a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had filed a chargesheet in the case.
Appearing for the state government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the SIT probe found that donations at the temple were embezzled during the counting process.
Mehta said some of the accused had invested the embezzled money in properties, while others had kept it in bank deposits.
Taking the submissions on record, the bench allowed the petitioners, who had approached the top court seeking an independent investigation, to assist the local court in Ayodhya during the trial.
The Supreme Court also refused to entertain a fresh plea seeking a determination on whether the Ram temple stands on the land adjudicated in the main Ayodhya dispute.
On September 21, the court-appointed SIT had informed the Supreme Court that it would file its first chargesheet in the alleged donation embezzlement case on or before September 25.
(With inputs from PTI)
