Ram temple donation ‘theft’: RJD MP moves Supreme Court seeking audit of temple trust finances

Summary

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription Published - July 03, 2026 11:20 pm IST - NEW DELHI The petitioner sought an independent temporary Supreme Court-monitored oversight committee to watch over the financial and administrative affairs of the Trust during the pendency of the investigation. File. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh has moved the Supreme Court to direct the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to prepare and produce a complete statement of all donations, including foreign contributions, received by it since its constitution. The petition filed by the MP through advocates Satyam Singh Rajput and Jaswanthi A. said it was of “exceptional public importance” to safeguard the administration of the Trust and protect the offerings made by millions of devotees. “The preservation of public confidence in one of the most revered religious institutions of the country, and the need for constitutional safeguards to ensure that the ongoing investigation into allegations concerning the handling of devotees’ offerings must be fair, independent and inspire the confidence of the nation,” the petition said. Ram temple row: Congress wants PM to break silence, questions SIT probe Ram temple donations embezzlement case: A timeline of events Ram Temple embezzlement case concerns assets of a juristic person and minor The petition said the statement of donations and offerings must include cash donations, bank transfers, digital payments, foreign contributions, gold, silver and other valuables, together with the particulars of their accounting, custody and utilisation. Venugopal writes to PM Modi, seeks Supreme Court-monitored probe into the Ram Mandir donation row Ram Temple donation theft tests VHP’s demand to free temples from state control He said an independent temporary Supreme Court-monitored oversight committee comprising retired judicial officers, financial experts and persons of impeccable integrity must be constituted to watch over the secular financial and administrative affairs of the Trust during the pendency of the investigation without interfering with religious rituals, customs or practices associated with Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir. Singh submitted that the court should bar any major financial or administrative decision involving utilisation of Trust funds, award of substantial contracts, creation of third-party rights, alienation of Trust assets, investments or other significant financial commitments without the approval of the proposed committee. He has also sought a comprehensive forensic audit of the accounts, donations, bank transactions and financial records of the Trust through an independent agency of unquestionable credibility, and submit the report before the Supreme Court.