A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, 22 June seeking registration of an FIR and a fair, independent and time-bound investigation into alleged embezzlement of funds linked to the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The plea comes amid a parallel political controversy, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accusing the BJP government of deliberately delaying an ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the allegations.
Filed by practising advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, the petition seeks a court-monitored investigation by a CBI-led multi-disciplinary SIT into alleged financial irregularities and other purported “illegalities” concerning the affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The petition also seeks directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the trust to establish regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms to safeguard public interest and maintain the confidence of devotees and donors.
‘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.
The petition noted that the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government had already begun its inquiry without the registration of an FIR or any regular criminal case.
It argued that allegations relating to missing funds and other purported irregularities should be independently verified through a professional investigation conducted by an agency with the expertise and institutional capacity to handle complex financial and criminal investigations.
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