Ayodhya Ram Temple donation row: SC urged to order FIR, monitor probe

New Delhi: A representation has been submitted before the Supreme Court seeking directions for the registration of an FIR and a court-monitored investigation into allegations of misappropriation of donations and offerings made at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.

Addressed to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, the representation was filed by Advocate-on-Record Anoop Prakash Awasthi, who urged the apex court to consider ordering an independent probe by a premier investigating agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court.

Contending that the issue concerns the faith and confidence of millions, the representation said that recent reports regarding alleged irregularities, misappropriation or disappearance of donation funds linked to the Ram Temple have caused concern among devotees across the country and abroad.

It added that while the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), the absence of a formal criminal investigation and FIR has raised questions about the institutional response to the matter.

“I do not seek to prejudge any individual, institution or authority. Nor do I intend to cast any aspersions upon the Trust, whose members have rendered invaluable service. However, the gravity of the allegations and the extraordinary significance of the institution involved require a level of transparency and credibility beyond ordinary standards,” the representation stated.

Referring to the significance of the temple, the representation said that contributions made by devotees are sacred offerings reflecting faith and trust in the institution and that any allegations concerning such donations acquire a dimension larger than an ordinary financial dispute.

“A matter involving offerings made to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir transcends questions of ordinary financial impropriety. It concerns the faith of countless devotees. The issue is not merely whether a monetary loss has occurred; the issue is whether public confidence in the management of one of the most revered religious institutions in the world remains intact,” it said.

The representation contended that the SIT constituted by the state government is, by itself, inadequate and argued that a large section of devotees may continue to harbour apprehensions regarding the independence of any inquiry unless it is conducted under the supervision of a Constitutional court.

It further claimed that no FIR has yet been registered despite allegations involving donations made by crores of devotees and said that the failure to initiate the ordinary criminal law process could create an impression that the matter is being treated as an administrative irregularity rather than a potentially serious criminal breach of trust.

“The absence of a formal criminal investigation at the threshold, despite allegations involving donations made by crores of devotees, inevitably raises questions regarding the institutional response to the matter,” the representation stated.

It also referred to reports alleging that certain individuals associated with donation management were found to be in possession of assets disproportionate to their known sources of income, while clarifying that whether such allegations are established or disproved is a matter for a competent investigation.

Seeking judicial intervention, the representation urged the apex court to direct a CBI investigation under its monitoring, establish a mechanism to preserve and protect donated funds, and order examination of all aspects relating to the collection, accounting, custody, management and disbursement of donations received by the temple.

“In matters where public faith in institutions is at stake, the confidence of millions of devotees can be restored only through an investigation that is demonstrably independent, comprehensive and insulated from every possibility of influence, pressure or conflict of interest,” it said.

The representation comes amid a controversy over alleged irregularities in offerings made at the Ram Temple.

Following directions from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government has constituted an SIT comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police (Lucknow Range) Kiran S., and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan. The team has reportedly been asked to submit a preliminary report within seven days and a final report within 15 days.

The issue gained political traction after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that crores of rupees from temple offerings had gone missing and sought judicial intervention.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has also sought an SIT probe, saying rumours and misleading information were being circulated on social media and that an impartial investigation was necessary to place the facts before the public.

Meanwhile, temple trust camp office in-charge Prakash Gupta told IANS that donations received at counters are accepted only against receipts and suggested that any discrepancy, if established, could be linked to the counting of money deposited in donation boxes rather than receipt-based collections.

IANS