Ayodhya Ram temple donation 'theft' row: SC seeks status report from SIT
The Supreme Court has sought a status report from the Uttar Pradesh SIT probing alleged donation embezzlement at the Ram temple and issued notice to the temple trust
 "Ayodhya Ram temple donation 'theft' row: SC seeks status report from SIT")
The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday sought a status report from the Uttar Pradesh government's Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the alleged embezzlement of donation money at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The state government constituted the SIT on June 13.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard a batch of public interest litigations (PILs) alleging financial irregularities at the temple. It also issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple, on pleas seeking a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged donation theft.
One petition, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the temple's finances. Two other petitions, including one by Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Sudhakar Singh, also sought a forensic audit of the trust's finances.
Separately, a special anti-corruption court in Faizabad extended the judicial custody of eight accused in the alleged donation theft case by 14 days till July 27. The prosecution has sought police remand of two accused — Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava — on which the court is expected to decide on Tuesday.
The Ram temple trust also invited applications for the post of its first chief executive officer, with applications open till 4 pm on July 18. It said candidates with experience managing temples or Hindu religious institutions, including retired officers, could apply. Applicants must be practising Hindus, while being a devotee of Lord Ram from the Vaishnava tradition would be desirable. A three-member panel will scrutinise the applications and recommend suitable candidates.
The SIT is expected to revisit Ayodhya in the coming days to question people associated with the temple trust, official sources told PTI. It submitted its preliminary inquiry report to the state government on June 23.
The Congress stepped up its attack over the alleged donation theft. In the Chhattisgarh Assembly, the Opposition demanded a discussion on the issue, triggering heated exchanges and the eventual adjournment of the House. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the party would raise the issue during the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 20.
Separately, Karnataka has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) to improve security, transparency and accountability in handling donations at state-run temples. Gujarat's Ambaji temple has also tightened its donation-counting procedures after CCTV footage of an outsourced employee allegedly attempting to steal ₹1 lakh from the shrine's cash room went viral two months ago.
In Uttarakhand, police arrested a suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee in connection with alleged irregularities in handling temple donations.