Ram Temple donation case: Include forensic auditor in SIT: SC to UP

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it has set up a four-member Special Investigating Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General of Police (IG) for the Lucknow Range, IPS Officer, Kiran S to probe the alleged embezzlement of the donations received by the Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya. The top court asked the state government to include a forensic auditor as the fifth member of the SIT, which will submit its first status report within two weeks. The three judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, that the SIT was formed through a notification issued on 25th of this month following the apex court’s suggestion.
During the hearing, Solicitor General informed the Apex Court that SIT will also include a DIG-rank officer, a senior Superintendent of Police and an additional SP. The bench was hearing a batch of petitions seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the allegations of embezzlement of donations received for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and audit of the temple Trust finances.
Last week, the Court observed that the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation theft issue should not be politicized. On that same day, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had informed the Court that investigation into the allegations is ongoing and it is being conducted by the State police. Meanwhile, a special court in UP today extended the judicial custody of all eight accused in the alleged Ram temple donation theft case by 14 days. The accused were produced before the court virtually from the district jail.