Supreme Court Warns Against Politicising Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Probe

The Supreme Court on Monday took up a slew of petitions that allege misuse of contributions meant for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, speaking for a three‑judge bench, stressed that this is a straightforward criminal matter and asked everyone to keep the politics out of it.

"It is a simple case of commission of offence… we are cautioning you, do not politicise this issue," the CJI said, his tone a mixture of firmness and reminder.

Behind the scenes, the Uttar Pradesh police are already digging into the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that eight arrests have been made and that a cognisable offence appears to have been committed. He could not reveal much more, noting that the investigation is "ongoing" and that digital evidence, including CCTV footage, is being preserved.

Petitioners, led by senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, have been pressing for greater transparency. They want the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to post donation receipts on its website so devotees can verify that their contributions have been recorded correctly. The court, however, stopped short of ordering an online publication, warning that it could invite false claims. Instead, the bench underscored the need for proper internal accounting: "Wherever a receipt is given, that record should be there," the CJI reiterated.

The bench also declined to make the FIR or the status report public at this stage, saying the parties could access them later if needed. It has asked the Solicitor General to explore the possibility of reconstituting the Special Investigation Team and to ensure that any probe – whether by the state police or the CBI – is conducted fairly, transparently and to its logical conclusion.

Several petitions are pending before the court. One, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, seeks a CBI probe coupled with a CAG audit of the trust’s finances. Another, from RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, demands a Supreme Court‑monitored forensic audit and the publication of audited financial statements. A separate filing by the Hindu Dharma Parishad also calls for a court‑supervised investigation.

Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had stayed parallel petitions to avoid a clash of proceedings, leaving the Supreme Court as the sole arena for the dispute. As the bench adjourns the matter to study the Uttar Pradesh status report in depth, all eyes remain on how the investigation will unfold and whether the trust’s accounting will finally be laid bare.