New Delhi: On Monday, the Supreme Court was briefed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the alleged siphoning of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has uncovered 105 separate theft episodes after poring over CCTV recordings and allied evidence.
Uttar Pradesh government told the top court that the chargesheet will be lodged by September 25, marking the close of the 90-day statutory window for wrapping up the probe.
SIT Findings, Court’s Stance
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, took note of the progress note filed by the SIT examining the allegations.
Solicitor General of India (SGI) Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, informed the Court that investigators had sifted through CCTV clips and other material to pinpoint the accused. He added that the inquiry is now “substantially complete”.
The apex court permitted the relevant Sessions Court in Uttar Pradesh to issue suitable orders in the case.
The CJI remarked that the Supreme Court did not intend to pull the matter away from the Sessions Judge at this point. He noted that the Court would issue further directions if it felt any additional investigation was needed, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The top court also examined a detailed status report submitted by the SIT in a sealed envelope.
Statutory Bail Window
As per Section 167 (2) of the CrPC, an accused can claim statutory bail if the investigating agency does not file the chargesheet in the trial court within the mandated 60 or 90 days, depending on the offence.
This provision has been replaced by Section 187 of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which supersedes Section 167(2) of the old CrPC.
Earlier, the top court had urged the SIT to wind up its probe swiftly and bring it to a logical end. It had also directed the team to file a sealed-cover update on the progress of the donations theft probe.
On July 27, the Court acknowledged the formation of a four-member SIT under IGP Kiran S to examine the alleged embezzlement of donations. It had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to bring a forensic auditor on board the probe panel.
Noting that “remedial actions will have to be taken”, the bench said measures would be adopted to “ensure transparency”. It had also told the SIT to file a progress report within two weeks.
On July 20, the bench sought details from the Uttar Pradesh government on the feasibility of setting up an SIT to investigate the alleged donation embezzlement.
On July 13, the bench had directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to submit a status report on the matter. It had also served notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on petitions demanding a fair, time-bound inquiry into the alleged theft of donations.
Following reports of irregularities in the handling of donations at the Ram temple, multiple petitioners, among them RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, approached the apex court seeking a CBI investigation and a forensic audit of the temple trust’s accounts.