Supreme Court seeks Ram Mandir donation theft probe status report from SIT

Appearing for the Centre and the UP Government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that a notice may not be issued to the Trust at this stage.

“We will place it (SIT report) for Your Lordship’s consideration in a sealed cover because an investigation is going on,” Metha said.

What petitioners demanded

One of the petitioners sought direction to preserve digital and other records.

“Much water has flown since I filed this petition. SIT was constituted, and certain developments have occurred. So, at this stage, because some CCTV footage, DVR records, are perishable in nature, they may be destroyed, damaged…”, the petitioner said.

Another petitioner urged that the SIT report may also be given to petitioners.

However, Mehta opposed the request, saying “it’s an ongoing investigation.”

To which CJI Surya Kant said, “We will see later on. It’s an ongoing investigation. You know the law well.”

One of the petitions has sought a CBI probe and an audit of the Trust’s finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

The other has prayed for a CBI probe and directions to safeguard the interests of devotees and donors.

The third plea has sought a forensic audit of the trust’s finances and a CBI investigation, as well as steps to preserve financial records, including physical documents, digital ledgers, UPI transaction logs, and bank statements, to prevent any alleged tampering with evidence.