The Supreme Court is set to address a series of public interest litigations on Monday regarding suspected financial misconduct in the management of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya. The petitions, listed for hearing on July 13, involve various parties including advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, Ajay Kumar Rai, and RJD MP Sudhakar Singh. Earlier, the Court had deferred an urgent hearing on Goswami’s plea, emphasizing that the matter would be taken up post the summer break.
Advocate Goswami’s petition emphasizes the need for preserving donation records at the temple and enhancing transparency in the trust’s operations. It stresses that temple offerings are considered sacred trust property, and those managing them are obligated to uphold principles of transparency and accountability. The plea also calls for the safeguarding of all donation-related documentation, CCTV footage, and digital logs, along with a forensic audit of contributions received by the Trust.
MP Sudhakar Singh has separately requested the transfer of the ongoing investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court. His plea advocates for the appointment of a temporary oversight committee comprising retired judicial officers and financial experts to monitor the Trust’s financial matters, pending a comprehensive forensic audit and the publication of audited financial statements on the Trust’s official platform.
