Ram temple donation row: Hearing of case deferred, as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta is a no show at Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Monday, August 10, agreed to consider deferring the hearing on a batch of pleas seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on a request by the counsel of the Uttar Pradesh government.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was apprised by a lawyer that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who has been appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, has gone to the United Nations with a delegation to attend a function there.
The bench asked whether the cases are listed for hearing.
“Yes, item number 30-33...please take it up next week,” the lawyer said. The bench agreed to consider the request.
On July 27, the bench took note of setting up of a four-member SIT headed by IGP Kiran S to probe alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. It had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to also include a forensic auditor in the probe team.
Observing that “remedial actions will have to be taken”, the bench had said steps will be taken to “ensure transparency".
The bench also directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to submit a status report in two weeks.
On July 20, the bench had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it about the possibility of setting up an SIT to probe the alleged embezzlement of donations.
It had asked the solicitor general to take instructions on whether the SIT, which had examined the entire issue before the registration of the FIR, could be entrusted with the responsibility to probe the case instead of the local police.
"Just a word of caution. Please don't politicise the issue. The courts are not a place for politics. It is a simple case of commission of crime. We are (here) just to ensure a proper investigation," the CJI had said.
Investigation is going on and eight persons have been arrested, the law officer had said, adding he cannot divulge much.
On July 13, the bench had directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to submit a status report in the matter.
It had also issued a notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on pleas seeking a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged donation theft.
Narendra Kumar Goswami, one of the three petitioners, moved the top court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.
He also sought an audit of the finances of the Trust, which manages the affairs of the Ram temple, by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav filed the second petition seeking similar measures.
Besides seeking a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe, the third petition filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh has sought a forensic audit of the entire finances of the temple trust.
