NEW DELHI: Taking over supervision of Ayodhya Ram Mandir fund embezzlement scam investigations, the Supreme Court on Monday ousted local police from probing the charges by entrusting it to a SIT led by a senior IPS officer and directed Shri Ram Teerth Kshetra Trust to preserve receipts of donations it received since commencement of construction of the temple.Skeptical about sudden flurry of petitions seeking various means and mechanism for investigations into the donation pilferage charges, a bench of CJI Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said, “We are putting a word of caution – do not play politics as courts are not meant for it. Do not politicise the issue.” The bench added, “It is a case of commission of offence under penal laws which must be investigated in a fair, impartial and transparent manner, and it should be taken to a logical conclusion.”SG Tushar Mehta, who submitted a sealed cover report on status of probe by UP police after a three-member SIT ordered registration of FIR on concluding that embezzlement of funds has taken place, said eight persons have been arrested and that the UP govt is ready to abide by whatever direction the SC passes for an independent and impartial probe into the allegations.The CJI said, “Sometimes we have to be practical. If the relief you are seeking is ordered, then people will claim they had donated diamonds and allege these are missing.” However, the bench said the trust must maintain all receipts of donations and accounts to facilitate scrutiny by the to-be-constituted SIT.
Don’t play politics over donation chori, says SC
Sceptical about the sudden flurry of petitions seeking various means and mechanism for investigations into the donation theft charges, a bench of CJI Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said, “We are putting (in) a word of caution — do not play politics as courts are not meant for it. Do not politicise the issue. It is a case of commission of offence under penal laws which must be investigated in a fair, impartial and transparent manner, and it should be taken to a logical conclusion.”The solicitor general, who submitted a sealed cover report on the status of the probe by UP police after a three-member SIT ordered registration of an FIR on concluding that embezzlement of funds has taken place, said eight persons were arrested.Unwilling to leave the probe in the hands of local police given the traction the issue has received among citizens, the bench told UP govt that it must constitute an SIT headed by a senior IPS officer and comprising other police officers selected by the DGP who should periodically report to SC about the progress in the investigation.The CJI-led bench said the SIT must include Kiran S, the IG (Lucknow Range), who was part of the three-member SIT set up by state govt that had inquired into the charges to find out whether embezzlement had been committed. On the earlier SIT’s recommendation, the FIR was registered. “Meanwhile, we will go through the probe status report and pass additional directions if needed,” it said and posted the matter for hearing on July 27.For a PIL petitioner, advocate Devadatt Kamat said the trust had collected huge amounts through donations from millions of devotees for temple construction and requested the court to direct the temple trust to upload the receipts of such donation in its website.“There are many who have donated gold and silver ornaments which are allegedly missing. An inventory of gold and silver ornaments or bricks must be prepared by the trust and uploaded on the website,” he said.The CJI said, “Sometimes we have to be practical. If the relief you are seeking is ordered, then people will claim they had donated diamonds and allege these are missing.” However, the bench said the trust must maintain all receipts of donations and accounts to facilitate scrutiny by the to-be-constituted SIT.
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