New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the petitions today (August 17) seeking a court-monitored investigation into alleged theft and financial irregularities involving donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The hearing had earlier been deferred at the request of the Uttar Pradesh government.
At the previous hearing on July 27, the apex court took note of the four-member SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government under the leadership of Inspector General of Police Kiran S.
The court directed the state to include a forensic auditor in the investigating team so that the financial aspects of the allegations could also be examined. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is expected to take up the matter. The petitions seek greater judicial oversight of the investigation being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government. It also directed the SIT to submit a status report within two weeks. The court may now consider the status of the SIT investigation and the directions sought by the petitioners. The petitioners have questioned the adequacy of the investigation being conducted by the state-appointed SIT and have sought a probe under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court.
