Ram Mandir donation theft: Congress demands Supreme Court-led probe

Congress leaders Rajendra Pal Gautam and Rajeev Shukla demanded a Supreme Court-supervised investigation into the alleged theft of Ram Mandir donations, citing acknowledgements from RSS and VHP and stressing the need for accountability.

Congress Demands SC-Led Probe

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, Rajendra Pal Gautam, on Sunday demanded that a Supreme Court-led judge should investigate the allegations of theft of donations received at Ram Mandir.

Gautam told ANI, "This entire incident should be investigated under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Honourable Supreme Court who has no previous affiliation with any political party, and this is not only a question of people's faith but also a question of people's faith in religion. If this trust is broken, it has far-reaching consequences," he said.

'Uncover the Facts and Ensure Accountability': Rajeev Shukla

Meanwhile, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla on Sunday called for an impartial investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court in the case.

Speaking to ANI, Shukla said that both the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have acknowledged that irregularities took place and stressed the need to uncover the facts and ensure accountability. "Both the RSS and the VHP have acknowledged that irregularities occurred; no one is denying that. The task now is to uncover the facts and take appropriate measures to prevent this from happening again. It is crucial that a Supreme Court committee conducts an impartial investigation, that those involved receive severe punishment, and that safeguards are put in place to ensure such theft does not recur," Shukla told ANI.

He further said that strong measures must be introduced to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future. "We must ensure measures are taken to prevent future thefts of this nature, as people's faith has been deeply shaken by this ongoing theft over the years," the Congress MP added.

Case Background

On June 29, an Ayodhya court remanded all the accused to 14-day judicial custody following an intensive investigation into allegations.

The controversy began after an FIR was registered on June 25. (ANI)

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