Supreme Court closes the Ayodhya temple donations petitions and leaves the case to the trial court
The court has made no finding on guilt, and the petitioners may now assist the magistrate at Ayodhya on the footing of victims of crime.
- News18
The Supreme Court on Monday, 2 November, closed a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana acted after Uttar Pradesh reported that the Special Investigation Team had filed its chargesheet.
The bench directed the judicial magistrate at Ayodhya to proceed in accordance with law. It said the court had expressed no opinion on the merits, so that no one is prejudiced.
Citing an element of public interest, it allowed the petitioners to assist the magistrate in the way the law lets a victim of crime do. According to News18, the status report puts the alleged loss at about ₹2.7 crore against eight accused.
The report says the money was taken at the counting stage, in the counting room of the Pilgrim Facilitation Centre. It does not concern the temple's artefacts, which Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court were found intact in an audit.
Mehta said the money had been traced to bank deposits and property transactions. He also told the court that measures have been taken to prevent a recurrence.
All eight remain accused only, and the allegations will now be tested at trial.
Key data
About ₹2.7 crore alleged; 8 accused chargesheeted; 105 instances of unauthorised currency removal or concealment recorded from CCTV footage; case registered on 25 June 2026; in one transaction cited, a sale deed showed ₹15 lakh against a stated actual cost of ₹50 lakh.
Why it matters
Devotees' offerings are a sacred trust, and the matter now moves from public controversy to a court of evidence. The court's request for assurance on future safeguards keeps attention on how temple donations are counted.
GK: did you know?
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was set up by the Central Government in February 2020, following the Supreme Court's Ayodhya judgment of 9 November 2019.
