The Supreme Court has refused to take up the matter of embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya for urgent hearing and asked the petitioners to mention the plea again on June 29, according
to media reports. The petition sought a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the site that is believed by many to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.
Justices BV Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi heard the plea which sought urgent listing of the matter.
The petition was filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav. It asks the court to order a CBI-led multidisciplinary Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged embezzlement of funds at the temple. It also highlights other alleged illegalities in the handling of affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The petitioners asked the court to list the matter for hearing on June 29. They also mentioned that no date has so far been given for its hearing.
“This is a PIL (public interest litigation) and it relates to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It has been numbered but no date is shown,” they said, as per a PTI report.
At this, the bench asked the petitioners to approach the court again on Monday and when the deficiencies in the plea are removed, the matter will be listed. There are no deficiencies in the plea, the petitioners claimed.
Besides a thorough probe, the petition asks the central and Uttar Pradesh governments, along with the Ram Mandir trust to constitute and operationalise regulatory, supervisory, and audit mechanisms. These measures will protect public interest and maintain the confidence of millions of devotees, who donate money for the temple.
“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,” the plea said, as quoted in the report.
The SIT which was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to inquire into this sensitive case has begun its investigation without even the registration of a First Information Report, the plea informed the court.
A unified agency which possesses the requisite expertise, resources, and institutional mechanisms for the handling of complex financial and criminal investigations should verify the truth behind the allegations of missing funds and other irregularities. The issues raised do not only concern the matter of corruption but also a direct effect on the faith of the public, as per the plea.
“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 specialised credentials in criminal investigation,” it stated.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on a request from the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram temple.
The UP government set up the SIT on June 13th after receiving a request from the temple trust after allegations of misappropriation of donations surfaced. That SIT includes Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
(With agency inputs)
