RJD MP Moves Supreme Court Seeking CBI Probe, Forensic Audit Of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust Finances

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Sudhakar Singh has moved the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the financial affairs of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust over recent allegations of misappropriation of donations meant for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed on July 3, seeks transfer of the ongoing investigation to the CBI under the supervision of the Supreme Court. It also seeks a comprehensive forensic audit of the Trust's accounts, donations, transactions and assets by an independent agency, along with the appointment of a temporary court-monitored oversight committee comprising retired judicial officers, financial experts and persons of “impeccable integrity” to oversee the Trust's secular financial and administrative affairs during the pendency of the investigation, Live Law and Bar & Bench report

Push for greater transparency

The petition makes it clear that the reliefs sought do not interfere with the religious rituals, customs or practices associated with the Ram Mandir. It says the prayers are confined to ensuring transparency and accountability in the Trust’s financial administration.

Besides seeking a CBI probe, the petitioner has asked the Supreme Court to direct preservation of all physical and electronic financial records, including account books, bank records, UPI transaction logs, CCTV footage, emails, servers and digital ledgers, to prevent destruction or tampering of evidence.

The plea also seeks directions to the Trust to publish audited financial statements, details of donations received, utilisation of funds and other financial information on its official website at regular intervals, while safeguarding confidential or sensitive donor information.

It further asks the Court to direct the Trust to place before it a complete statement of all donations and contributions received since its constitution, including cash donations, bank transfers, digital payments, foreign contributions, donations in kind, gold, silver and other valuables, along with details of their accounting, custody and utilisation.

Interim restrictions sought

Pending completion of the investigation, the petition seeks to restrain the Trust from taking major financial or administrative decisions, including utilisation of Trust funds, award of substantial contracts, creation of third-party rights, alienation of Trust assets, major investments, significant financial commitments and appointments to key administrative posts without the approval of the proposed court-monitored oversight committee. It also seeks ex parte ad interim orders constituting the committee.

The petition cites recent allegations of financial irregularities, an ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and the reported recovery of a cash trail amounting to ₹77 lakh. It contends that the existing SIT probe lacks the institutional independence and specialised forensic capability required to investigate the alleged financial irregularities involving the Trust.

The fresh plea comes days after the Supreme Court declined urgent listing of another PIL seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into alleged financial irregularities and missing donations at the Ram Mandir.

That petition, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, was mentioned before a vacation Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu. The petitioners argued that electronic evidence could be tampered with and sought immediate directions for preservation of records.

The Bench declined urgent listing and asked the petitioners to furnish a copy of the petition to the court registry, observing that the matter would be considered in due course.