Ram temple donation row: SC asks petitioner to mention fair probe plea on June 29

View of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya | Photo credit: ANI

The Supreme Court on Thursday (June 25, 2026) asked the petitioner to mention before it on June 29 his plea for registration of an FIR and a fair and time-bound inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before Justices BV Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi.

The petition, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, said that a multi-disciplinary special investigation team (SIT) led by the CBI should probe the alleged financial irregularities and other alleged illegalities relating to the affairs and management of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

On Thursday, one of the petitioners mentioned the matter and called on the council to bring the lawsuit up for hearing on June 29.

“This is a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) and is related to Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. It has been numbered but no date has been given,” the petitioner said.

The court observed that if there was no deficiency in the plea, the registry would process it. “Please contact the registrar. If the deficiency is rectified, it will be listed,” the bench said.

The petitioner stated that the suit was registered and no deficiencies were found. When he asked that the matter be listed for hearing on June 29, the court said, “You will mention it on Monday (June 29)”.

Searching for a route to the center

The petition sought directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Trust to create and operationalize such regulatory, monitoring and control mechanisms as may be necessary to protect public interest and maintain the confidence of millions of devotees and donors.

“Whether the reports of missing funds and other alleged irregularities involving the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust are ultimately found to be true or not, such reports have caused deep concern among generations who have fought to restore the glory of Ayodhya,” the plea said.

It said that the SIT set up by the Uttar Pradesh government had started an investigation into the matter without registering an FIR or any regular criminal case.

The plea stated that the veracity of reports regarding alleged missing funds and other alleged irregularities involving the Trust should be independently verified through a professional investigation led by a single agency with the requisite expertise, resources and institutional mechanisms to handle complex financial and criminal investigations.

“Such an investigation would inspire more public confidence than a preliminary investigation conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) composed of administrative officials who may not have specialized credentials to investigate crimes,” the lawsuit said.

It said that the issues involved are not only related to the possible commission of cognizable offenses but also directly affect the faith, feelings and self-esteem of countless devotees and the public.

On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government set up an SIT at the request of 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 Special Secretary Finance Neel Ratan.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 12:38 IST