The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged theft and misappropriation of donations at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir after the Uttar Pradesh government informed it that a chargesheet had been filed against eight accused in the case.
According to LiveLaw, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant closed the proceedings while granting the petitioners liberty to assist the concerned Judicial Magistrate during the trial. The bench clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the allegations.
Government details alleged donation misappropriation
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the court that the alleged thefts primarily occurred during the counting of donations. He said individuals involved in counting the money had allegedly misappropriated it by depositing the proceeds into bank accounts or investing them in properties.
Mehta also informed the bench that investigators had examined bank transactions and property deals to trace the stolen funds. In some instances, properties recorded in sale deeds at Rs 15 lakh were allegedly worth around Rs 50 lakh, with the difference paid in cash using misappropriated money.
The government further submitted that an audit had been conducted and all religious offerings and artefacts were found intact.
SIT detects 105 alleged instances
According to the investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) detected 105 instances of unauthorised removal or concealment of cash from the donation-counting room at the temple premises. It identified eight accused and filed a chargesheet against them before an Ayodhya court on September 23.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the association of a forensic auditor with the SIT investigation.
