Allahabad HC's Lucknow Bench to hear plea seeking CBI probe into alleged Ram Temple donation row

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court is scheduled to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on Monday seeking a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in donations offered at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjeev Shukla will hear the PIL, which was filed on June 12. The petition seeks a CBI investigation into allegations of theft and irregularities involving donations collected through the temple's donation boxes. It also seeks an audit of the temple's donations by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The petitioner has urged the court to direct the registration of an FIR and ensure a fair and impartial investigation.

The plea further seeks that the investigation be conducted under the supervision of an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP). The petition also calls for a detailed inquiry into the collection, accounting and management of cash, gold, silver and other offerings received at the temple. Meanwhile, the meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is scheduled to be held at 3 pm at the temple complex amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations. The meeting will be chaired by Trust President Nritya Gopal Das. Trustees expected to attend include Treasurer Govind Dev Giri, Vishwaprasannatirth, Swami Parmanand Giri, Jagadguru Vasudevanand Saraswati, Krishna Mohan, Anil Mishra and General Secretary Champat Rai, sources said. Ex-officio members District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad, Central Government representative Prashant Lokhande and Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra are also expected to be present. Trust member K Parasaran is expected to attend the meeting through video conferencing, sources said. However, sources said there is uncertainty over the participation of Trust President Nritya Gopal Das in the meeting in view of his health condition.

The meeting comes as the controversy has triggered a sharp political confrontation, with Opposition parties demanding a probe while the BJP accuses them of targeting the Hindu faith. Earlier, speaking to ANI on the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Dinendra Das said the Trust would accept whatever verdict was delivered. "The trust will accept whatever verdict will be given... If a theft occurred at the place of Ramlala, even death penalty would be accepted as punishment," he said. Meanwhile, ahead of the key Trust meeting, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust trustee Krishna Mohan and VHP Central Secretary Rajendra Singh 'Pankaj' reached Vaidehi Bhawan in Ayodhya, where Govind Dev Giri Maharaj is staying. Separately, the investigation into the alleged donation theft has progressed. Police sources said the Ayodhya Police have obtained court permission to question five of the eight accused currently lodged in jail.

The accused, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Manish Yadav, will be questioned inside the jail and their statements will be formally recorded. The Ayodhya Sant Mandal has also extended its support to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and urged the Trust not to accept his resignation.