Supreme Court to hear plea against Ram Temple chief over donation irregularities on November 2
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on November 2 a plea filed by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha seeking legal action against former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and others over alleged irregularities in donations and land transactions linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. According to news agency ANI, the plea alleges that donations collected for the construction of the temple were misappropriated and that land was illegally purchased in areas surrounding the temple.
The petition seeks the dissolution of the existing Trust and its complete reconstitution. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the petition would be taken up along with other pending pleas concerning the same. Earlier, Rai had been given a clean chit by the UP-State SIT, which probed the donation theft. He is listed in the chargesheet as a key prosecution witness. The chargesheet names eight arrested counting agents and employees as accused for criminal breach of trust and corruption.
Rai informed investigators that he first learned of the irregularities via a phone call and video message while travelling. He subsequently reviewed CCTV footage and suggested lodging the formal police complaint. The alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple has triggered a political and administrative controversy, with the issue coming to light on June 7 when former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey alleged that around Rs 7-7.5 crore from daily offerings had been siphoned off.
