Ram temple offering theft case: Supreme Court refused to hear immediately, said- ‘sky will not fall’
New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant urgent hearing to a plea seeking an impartial and time-bound investigation into the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. A bench of Justices M.M. Sundaresh and Sheel Nagu said the matter would be listed for hearing after the summer vacation.
During the hearing, the bench, while making oral remarks, said, “The sky won’t fall… what’s the hurry?”
The petition, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, said that a multidisciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should investigate the alleged financial irregularities and other alleged illegalities related to the affairs and administration of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
In the petition requesting to register an FIR in this matter, it has also been requested to direct the Centre, Uttar Pradesh Government and the Temple Trust to set up and operate necessary regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms to protect the public interest and maintain the trust of crores of devotees and donors.
“Whether or not the reports of alleged embezzlement of funds and other alleged irregularities relating to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust prove to be true, these reports have created deep concern among the generations who have fought for a long time for the restoration of the glorious heritage of Ayodhya,” the petition said.
It is alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government has started investigating the case without registering any FIR or regular criminal case. The petition said the veracity of reports related to alleged missing funds from the temple trust and other alleged financial irregularities should be independently investigated.
According to the petition, this investigation should be conducted by an integrated investigating agency which has the necessary expertise, resources and institutional arrangements to investigate complex financial and criminal cases. “Such an investigation would strengthen public confidence more than a preliminary investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising only administrative officials, who may not have the expertise to investigate criminal cases,” it said.
The Uttar Pradesh government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 on the request of the temple trust following allegations of alleged embezzlement in Ram temple offerings. This Special Investigation Team (SIT) includes Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kiran S. And Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance Department.
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