Bringing closure to proceedings before the top court, the Supreme Court of India on Monday disposed of a cluster of high-profile petitions seeking court-monitored probes and forensic audits into the alleged theft of donations and offerings at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took formal cognizance of the comprehensive charge sheet submitted by the Uttar Pradesh Special Investigation Team (SIT) before the Judicial Magistrate in Ayodhya, formally directing the trial court to take over further legal proceedings in accordance with statutory criminal provisions. The apex bench clarified that it had not weighed in on the factual merits of the allegations, observing that the original petitioners retain full liberty to assist the trial magistrate as complainants during subsequent hearings.
High-Level SIT Uncovers 105 Incidents: Digital Evidence and Bank Trails Implicate Eight Suspects
The decisive closure of apex proceedings stems from an intensive probe executed by a reconstituted Special Investigation Team constituted on July 27 under directions issued by the Supreme Court on July 20. Headed by Inspector General (Lucknow Range) Kiran S alongside an elite supervisory panel comprising a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), the investigative unit systematically audited temple security apparatus. Submitting its status report on September 21, the SIT revealed to the court that it had successfully unearthed 105 documented incidents of illicit fund diversion and offering thefts, establishing concrete culpability against eight individuals through forensic examination of high-definition CCTV feeds, electronic surveillance records, and suspicious personal bank transactions before obtaining formal clearance from the top court to finalize the formal charge sheet.
Five Landmark Pleas Closed: Litigants Retain Complainant Rights in Ayodhya Trial Court
The five petitions formally wrapped up by the Supreme Court had been moved by advocates Narendra Kumar Goswami and Ajay Kumar Rai, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh, the Hindu Dharma Parishad, and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. The batch of pleas originally sought sweeping structural reliefs, including handing over the entire inquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), appointing an expert administrative committee to overhaul treasury management, commissioning an independent forensic audit of the Ram Mandir Trust, and establishing a real-time live digital portal disclosing daily devotee offerings. While transferring jurisdiction back to the local magistrate’s court in Ayodhya, the Supreme Court emphasized that all complainants and public interest litigants are empowered to submit their evidence and assist the prosecution as victims during the trial phase.