The Central Government has requested the postponement of the hearing scheduled for August 10th in the Supreme Court on the demand for an investigation into the alleged theft of donations for the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. The Uttar Pradesh government stated that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta would not be available on August 10th, and therefore, the hearing should be postponed.
On July 27th, the Uttar Pradesh government informed the Supreme Court that a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to investigate the alleged theft of donations. Subsequently, the Supreme Court directed the inclusion of a forensic auditor. The court directed the SIT to file a status report on the investigation. During the hearing, Mehta stated that the Uttar Pradesh government had formed an SIT headed by Lucknow Range Inspector General Kiran S. Kamat. During the hearing, senior advocate Devadutt Kamat, representing the petitioner, argued that donations received from across the country for the construction of the Ram Temple should be audited and the distribution of funds received by the Trust should be made public to ensure transparency for donors.
On July 13th, the court issued notices to the Trust and the Uttar Pradesh government. The court summoned records related to the formation of the SIT. The petition was filed by two lawyers, Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav. The petition seeks to direct the Central Government, the Uttar Pradesh Government, and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to establish a mechanism to prevent financial irregularities, as the sentiments of millions of devotees are involved.
Earlier, a lawyer had written to the Supreme Court requesting a suo motu investigation into the matter. Lawyer Anoop Awasthi wrote to the Supreme Court, stating that this issue concerns the faith of millions of people in the country. The letter demanded that the investigation be monitored by the court. The letter states that the temple is operated by a trust formed after the Supreme Court’s decision in 2020. Its consecration ceremony was held on January 22, 2024. Since then, a large number of devotees visit the temple daily and donate to the temple’s donation box.