The Supreme Court on July 20 proposed forming a special investigation team of senior police officers to examine alleged embezzlement of donations to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The court also warned petitioners against politicising the matter. It listed the case for further hearing on July 27.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant made the proposal during the hearing. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta told the court that a status report on the probe had been filed in a sealed cover. The report noted that eight people had been arrested so far.
The Chief Justice suggested reconstituting the SIT to lead the investigation directly instead of only overseeing state police work. Mehta agreed to consult the Director-General of Police on the matter.
Petitioners, including Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Sudhakar Singh, asked for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe and full disclosure of cash, gold, silver and foreign contributions received by the trust. The Chief Justice observed that it was a simple criminal case and cautioned against turning it into a political issue.
The Bench will take up the matter again on July 27 for detailed orders.
