The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged financial irregularities related to donations for the Ayodhya Ram temple to submit a detailed report on the progress of its investigation.
The direction came while hearing three public interest petitions filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, and RJD MP Sudhakar Singh. The petitions questioned the SIT’s capacity to handle complex financial probes and raised concerns that the inquiry began without registering a formal case.
The petitioners sought a CBI investigation under the Supreme Court’s supervision and requested interim directions to preserve electronic evidence, including account records, UPI transaction details, CCTV footage, emails and server data. They also asked for a temporary oversight panel of retired judges and financial experts, and for audited financial statements to be published online.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Jaymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, ordered the SIT to file a comprehensive status report that also includes particulars of its members. The court also issued notices to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to respond to the plea seeking a CBI probe.
