Calling for a “qualitative and impartial” investigation, the Supreme Court on Monday (July 27, 2026) directed the Uttar Pradesh government to include an independent forensic auditor in the reconstituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.
Hearing a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the affairs of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant also directed the SIT to submit a status report on the progress of the investigation within two weeks.
“Since the nature of the investigation involves the alleged misappropriation of trust funds, the learned Solicitor-General, representing the State of Uttar Pradesh, has fairly agreed that an auditor with experience in forensic auditing shall also be associated as a member of the SIT. We have been informed that the SIT has already taken charge and the investigation is under way. We direct the SIT to submit a status report with respect to the ongoing investigation,” the Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, said.
Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta informed the Bench that a four-member SIT headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kiran S. had been constituted to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations at the temple. He said the panel had been reconstituted in compliance with the top court’s earlier directions.
Earlier, the Bench had cautioned all parties against “politicising” the investigation and asked the State government to consider placing the ongoing police probe under the supervision of the three-member SIT that had first uncovered prima facie evidence of the alleged fraud.
“We would like you to take instructions whether the same SIT that examined the issue earlier can supervise the investigation. Those senior officials have first-hand experience of the matter,” the Bench had told Mr. Mehta, referring to the committee comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, IGP Kiran S., and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan.
On Monday, Mr. Mehta apprised the court that Mr. Kiran would head the investigation. “Then there is one Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), one Senior Superintendent of Police and one Additional Superintendent of Police,” he submitted. The U.P. government has included Inspector General of Police (Ayodhya Range) Somen Barma and Senior Superintendent of Police (Ayodhya) Gaurav Grover as members in the reconstituted SIT.
The Chief Justice then said that an “eminent, independent” chartered accountant with expertise in forensic auditing be included in the investigation team. Mr. Mehta agreed to the suggestion. “No difficulty,” he responded.
Senior advocate Devdatt Kamat, appearing for one of the petitioners, submitted that there were “large-scale reports” raising doubts over whether donations made by devotees from across the country had actually reached the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He urged the Bench to direct the Trust to upload details of all donation receipts on its website to ensure transparency.
“Receipts were collected for the Trust from all over the country. People have donated ₹100, ₹500 and other amounts. There are large-scale reports that ultimately the money has not reached the Trust. Whatever receipts the Trust has received should be put on the website. That way, people will know whether their money has reached the Trust or not,” Mr. Kamat submitted.
He added that the proceedings were not adversarial in nature and that there should be “nothing to hide”.
The Bench, however, declined to issue such a direction at this stage, observing that the SIT should first be allowed to complete its investigation. It instead asked Mr. Kamat to place his suggestions on record so that appropriate directions could be considered at a later stage, if necessary.
“Let the SIT do its job. We are not closing the matter. All these remedial measures may have to be taken, and we can issue directions at the appropriate stage. You may note down all the steps required to ensure transparency,” the Chief Justice observed.
The court also rejected another request that the SIT investigation be monitored by a retired judge. “Another layer through a retired judge is not needed. We are monitoring it,” the Bench said.
The matter has been posted for further hearing after two weeks. The Bench directed the SIT to place its status report on record and indicated that it would continue to monitor the progress of the investigation.
One of the petitions has been filed by petitioner-in-person Narendra Kumar Goswami, who has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged scam along with an audit of the Trust’s finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Another petition, moved by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh, seeks a court-supervised CBI probe along with a comprehensive forensic audit of the finances of the temple Trust. Mr. Singh has also urged the top court to ensure the preservation of all financial records, including physical documents, digital ledgers, UPI transaction logs and bank statements, so that the integrity of the evidence is maintained during the investigation.
The petition also seeks directions requiring the Trust to furnish before the top court a complete account of all funds received since its establishment. This would include cash donations, bank transfers, digital payments, foreign contributions and donations in kind, such as gold, silver and other valuables, along with details of how these were utilised.
Published - July 27, 2026 04:23 pm IST