In a move that could reshape the management of one of India’s most contested religious sites, the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for November 2 to consider a petition that names former Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary Champat Rai as a suspect in the donation‑theft saga. The filing, lodged by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, alleges that Rai was involved in siphoning funds and buying land illegally around the temple.
Rai, who was cleared by the UP State SIT and listed as a key witness in the case, says he first learned of irregularities through a call and a video message while travelling, then reviewed CCTV footage and urged the police to register a complaint.
The petition demands that all properties—movable or immovable—under the trust be attached, that the current Ram Mandir Trust be dissolved, and that a new board be constituted free of the accused. It also accuses the trust of breaching devotees’ trust worldwide.
Earlier investigations named eight individuals—agents and employees—for criminal breach of trust and corruption, but no action has been taken against the larger cadre of trustees, according to the petition.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, assured advocate Varinder Kumar Sharma that the case would be heard alongside pending pleas, and the court is expected to order property attachment and a reconstitution of the trust on the hearing date.