New Delhi | Updated: July 10, 2026
The Supreme Court will on Monday hear three petitions seeking an independent CBI probe under the court’s supervision into alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The petitions relate to the finances of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the Ram Temple.
The three PILs will be taken up on July 13 by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The bench will also comprise Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
The matter will be heard when the Supreme Court reopens after the summer vacation.
Earlier, the top court had refused urgent listing of the petitions during the partial working days.
The first PIL has been filed by petitioner-in-person Narendra Kumar Goswami. It seeks a CBI probe into the matter and an audit of the Trust’s finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The second petition, filed by advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav as petitioners-in-person, has sought a fair and time-bound probe by a CBI-led multi-disciplinary SIT.
The petitioners have demanded investigation into alleged financial irregularities and other purported illegalities concerning the affairs and administration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The third PIL has been filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh. He has sought transfer of the ongoing investigation to the CBI under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
Singh’s petition referred to the ongoing SIT probe and the reported recovery of ₹77 lakh from eight accused arrested in the case.
The PIL said the matter is of exceptional public importance as it concerns the administration of the trust and offerings made by millions of devotees.
Singh has also sought a comprehensive forensic audit of all donations, transactions, and assets of the trust by an independent agency.
The petition has demanded that the Trust be directed to publish audited financial statements and donation records on its official website for public transparency.
It has also sought directions to preserve all financial records, including physical documents, digital ledgers, UPI transaction logs, and bank statements, to prevent any alleged tampering with evidence.
The PIL further requested the court to restrain the Trust from making major investments, entering into substantial contracts, or taking significant financial decisions without prior approval of a proposed Oversight Committee.
Singh has also sought the appointment of a temporary court-monitored oversight committee comprising retired judicial officers and financial experts to oversee the Trust’s financial affairs during the pendency of the investigation.
Some other petitions seeking similar relief are also pending before the Allahabad High Court.
At present, the matter is being investigated by a three-member Special Investigation Team set up by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 13 at the request of the temple trust.
The SIT is headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant. It also includes Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
The SIT submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government on June 23, after which an FIR was registered.
Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari is leading the investigation in the case.
Eight accused have been arrested so far.
The arrested accused have been identified as Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar, alias Tinnu Yadav.
They were associated with counting cash and valuables received as donations.
