The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday gave nod to hear a petition which sought action against former secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, in connection with allegations of financial irregularities in the Ram Mandir donation case.

The petition, filed by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, alleges that Rai was involved in the alleged misappropriation of funds and the illegal purchase as well as occupation of land around the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. It has also sought directives to Uttar Pradesh authorities to attach all movable and immovable properties allegedly held by the trustees or their aides.

Plea to be heard alongside pending cases

The petition was listed for hearing before a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. The bench assured advocate Varinder Kumar Sharma that the plea would be tagged with other pending petitions pertaining to the Ram Temple donation theft case and would be heard together on November 2, 2026.

The development comes despite Rai having received a clean chit from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Uttar Pradesh government, which probed the alleged irregularities in donation. Instead, Rai has been named as a key prosecution witness in the chargesheet.

As per the material cited in the case, Rai told the SIT sleuths that he first learnt about the alleged irregularities in donations by means of a phone call and video message while he was travelling. He then reviewed CCTV footage and suggested that a police complaint be lodged at the earliest.

The chargesheet names eight arrested counting agents and employees as accused in connection with alleged offences including criminal breach of trust and corruption.

Petition seeks reconstitution of temple trust

The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has also sought the dissolution and complete reconstitution of the existing Ram Mandir trust, contending that the organisation underwent only leadership and administrative changes after the donation row emerged.

The petition alleged that several people were involved in the alleged embezzlement of donations but that action was not taken against all the ones purportedly responsible. It further claimed that certain people who should be removed continue to remain associated with the Trust.

The petition read, “The Trust has breached the trust of all Ram devotees across the world,” adding that action must be taken against the ones allegedly linked directly or indirectly to the purported financial and land-related irregularities.

The organisation added to the allegations, saying that the land adjoining the temple was illegally occupied by Rai and called for properties allegedly held by the trustees or their associates to be attached immediately.