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The Supreme Court on Monday observed that the alleged theft of donations meant for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir should not be politicised, while hearing a batch of petitions seeking a CBI investigation and an audit of the temple trust's finances.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the matter was essentially a criminal investigation and cautioned against turning it into a political issue.

"It is a simple case of commission of offence... We are cautioning, do not politicise this issue," the CJI remarked.

A Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan heard the petitions seeking a CBI probe into allegations of embezzlement of donations received for the Ram temple, Live Law reported.

The Bench indicated that it would issue certain directions but adjourned the matter to examine the status report submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government.

UP Police Probe Underway

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Court that the Uttar Pradesh Police was continuing its investigation into the allegations and had already filed the status report as directed.

He told the Bench that eight people had been arrested so far and that the investigation had found a cognisable offence to have been made out.

"The State police is investigating... it has found that a cognisable offence was made out. I can't divulge much as it is an ongoing investigation," Mehta submitted.

The Solicitor General also said digital evidence, including CCTV footage, was being preserved.

The Bench said it would study the status report in detail and asked the Solicitor General to seek instructions on the possible reconstitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The CJI stressed that the investigation must be conducted fairly, transparently and taken to its logical conclusion.

Court On Donation Records

Appearing for some petitioners, senior advocate Devadatt Kamat raised concerns over the alleged disappearance of gold and silver offerings and the accounting of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

He suggested that donation receipts issued during the temple's construction should be published on the Trust's website so devotees could verify whether their contributions had been properly recorded.

The CJI declined to direct publication of such records online, observing that false claims of donations could arise. However, he emphasised that proper records must be maintained wherever receipts had been issued. "Wherever receipt is given, that record should be there," the CJI said.

The Bench also declined requests to direct the publication of the FIR and the sharing of the status report with the petitioners at this stage.

Petitions Before The Court

The Supreme Court is hearing multiple petitions seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged donation scam.

One petition, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, seeks a CBI probe and a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the finances of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Another petition, filed by Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav, seeks directions to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Trust to safeguard the interests of devotees and donors.

RJD MP Sudhakar Singh has sought a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe, a forensic audit of the Trust's finances and directions to preserve all financial and digital records. He has also requested greater transparency, including publication of audited financial statements and donation records.

A separate petition filed by the Hindu Dharma Parishad seeks a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations.

The Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR after an inquiry by the SIT constituted by the state government. Earlier, the Allahabad High Court declined to entertain similar petitions to avoid parallel proceedings while the matter was pending before the Supreme Court.