The Supreme Court is set to hear on July 13 a batch of petitions seeking a fair, independent and time-bound probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
According to the apex court's cause list, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohan will hear the matter when the court resumes proceedings on Monday.
The petitions seek a CBI investigation, a Supreme Court-monitored probe and independent financial scrutiny, including audits of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple.
The hearing comes amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of donations, in which eight people have been arrested.
On July 7, an Ayodhya court granted one-day police custody of three accused, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey, to facilitate further investigation. Earlier, on June 29, all eight accused were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
One of the petitioners, Narendra Kumar Goswami, has sought a CBI probe into the alleged embezzlement and a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the Trust's finances.
A second petition, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, seeks the constitution of a CBI-led multidisciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged financial irregularities and other purported illegalities in the Trust's affairs.
The third petition, filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, seeks a Supreme Court-monitored CBI investigation along with a forensic audit of the Trust's entire financial records.
Earlier, a vacation bench headed by Justice B V Nagarathna had asked one of the petitioners to mention the matter for urgent listing after the court reopened.
In their plea, Rai and Yadav have sought directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Trust to establish regulatory, supervisory and audit mechanisms to safeguard public interest and maintain the confidence of millions of devotees and donors.
The petition argues that, irrespective of whether the allegations are ultimately proven, reports of missing funds have caused widespread concern among devotees.
The plea also questions the state government's SIT inquiry, claiming it was initiated without the registration of an FIR or a regular criminal case.
It contends that the allegations should be independently verified by a professional agency with expertise in complex financial and criminal investigations, arguing that such a probe would inspire greater public confidence than an inquiry conducted by an administrative SIT.
The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the three-member SIT on June 13 following a request from the Ram Temple Trust after allegations of misappropriation of donations surfaced.
The panel comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan.
The Supreme Court will now examine the three petitions seeking a wider investigation and comprehensive financial scrutiny of the Trust's affairs.