Will File Chargesheet By September 25: UP SIT Submits Before Supreme Court In Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Row
On July 27, the top court took note of the setting up of the four-member SIT headed by IGP Kiran S to probe the alleged embezzlement of donations.
The Supreme Court was told that the court-appointed Special Investigation Team probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will file its first chargesheet on or before September 25.
Previously, the Court directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to include a forensic investigative auditor to probe the alleged embezzlement and siphoning of donation money. The Court said that a chartered accountant with expertise in forensic audit be added as a member to the SIT.
The Court also directed the Special Investigation Team formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the alleged embezzlement of donation money at the temple to submit a status report in the matter.
The Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana also perused a detailed status report submitted by the SIT in a sealed cover.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Court that the statutory 90-day period from the first arrest in the case would lapse soon.
“Ninety days from the date of the first arrest are going to be over on September 25, so we will have to file the chargesheet; otherwise, they (the accused) will get default bail,” Mehta said.
The top court had earlier asked the SIT to complete its investigation expeditiously and take it to a logical conclusion.
It had directed the SIT to file its status report in a sealed cover on the progress made in the investigation into the donations theft case.
The Court also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to take instructions on whether the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which had examined the entire issue before registration of the FIR, could be entrusted with the responsibility to probe the case instead of the local police.
The controversy ignited earlier this month after opposition leaders and whistleblowers alleged substantial financial leakages. While initial figures pegged the suspected discrepancies at around ₹7 crore to ₹7.5 crore, subsequent political contentions have claimed the potential embezzlement could touch up to ₹200 crore. In response to the public outcry, the Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a state-level SIT on June 13 to examine the records.
Narendra Kumar Goswami, one of the three petitioners, moved the Apex Court seeking a CBI probe into the matter. He also sought a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the finances of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Theerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the affairs of the Ram temple.
Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav filed the second petition seeking similar measures. Besides seeking a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe, the third petition filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh has sought a forensic audit of the entire finances of the temple trust.
The petition, filed by practising advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, said a CBI-led multi-disciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) should investigate the alleged financial irregularities and other purported illegalities concerning the affairs and administration of the temple trust.
In the petition, Rai sought directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Trust for constituting and operationalising such regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms, as may be necessary, to safeguard public interest and maintain the confidence of millions of devotees and donors.
In June, 2026, the Court agreed to hear the pleas.
The Allahabad High Court had refused to accord an out-of-turn hearing on a plea seeking an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the management of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, observing there was no urgency in the matter.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government had constituted an SIT following a request from the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram temple. The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
Recently, the Court also refused to entertain a separate plea of the Nirmohi Akhara seeking a direction to the Centre to reconstitute the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Cause Title: Ajay Kumar Rai v. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and Ors.[W.P.(Crl.) No. 241/2026] and Narender Kumar Goswami v. Union of India and Ors. [W.P.(C) No. 790/2026]
- (With PTI Inputs)