The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court is set to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on Monday that calls for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into alleged irregularities involving donations made at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The petition, submitted on June 12, will be heard by a division bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjeev Shukla. It seeks a CBI investigation into allegations of theft and financial discrepancies related to money collected through the temple's donation boxes. The plea also requests that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) conduct an independent audit of the temple's donations.

The petitioner has asked the court to direct the registration of an FIR and ensure that the investigation is carried out fairly under the supervision of a police officer of at least the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP). The PIL also seeks a comprehensive examination of how cash, gold, silver and other offerings received at the temple have been collected, recorded and managed.

The hearing coincides with a scheduled meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust at 3 p.m. inside the temple complex. The meeting comes against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged misuse of temple donations and will be chaired by Trust President Nritya Gopal Das.

According to sources, several trustees, including Treasurer Govind Dev Giri, Vishwaprasannatirth, Swami Parmanand Giri, Jagadguru Vasudevanand Saraswati, Krishna Mohan, Anil Mishra and General Secretary Champat Rai, are expected to participate. Ex-officio members such as Ayodhya District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad, Central Government representative Prashant Lokhande and Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra are also likely to attend. Trust member K. Parasaran is expected to join the proceedings virtually.

However, uncertainty remains over whether Trust President Nritya Gopal Das will be able to attend because of his health. The controversy has intensified political debate, with Opposition parties demanding an independent investigation while the BJP has accused its rivals of using the issue to target the Hindu faith.

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Dinendra Das told ANI that the Trust would abide by any legal decision in the matter. He stated that if theft had indeed taken place at the temple, those responsible should face the strictest punishment under the law. Ahead of the Trust meeting, trustee Krishna Mohan and VHP Central Secretary Rajendra Singh 'Pankaj' visited Vaidehi Bhawan in Ayodhya, where Govind Dev Giri Maharaj is currently staying.

The police investigation into the alleged donation theft has moved forward. According to police sources, the Ayodhya Police have secured court approval to question five of the eight accused currently lodged in jail. The individuals — Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Manish Yadav — will be interrogated inside the prison, and their statements will be officially recorded. The Ayodhya Sant Mandal has also expressed its support for Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and appealed to the Trust not to accept his resignation.