Allahabad HC refuses out-of-turn hearing in Ayodhya temple donations case

The Allahabad High Court on Monday declined to grant an out-of-turn hearing on a plea seeking an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the management of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, observing that there was no urgency in the matter.

The petition was listed at serial number 392 among 529 fresh cases before the Lucknow Bench of the court.

A vacation bench comprising Justice Pankaj Bhatia and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai said it was already dealing with a large number of matters and there was no occasion to accord priority to the plea.

The bench also orally observed that since the Uttar Pradesh government had already taken cognisance of the issue, there was no urgency warranting an immediate hearing.

The petition was filed by Mohit Ashok, who sought an independent inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds received as offerings at the Ram Temple.

The petitioner has also sought a direction for an audit of the temple donations by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

According to the plea, there were financial irregularities in the handling of donations made by devotees, and judicial intervention was necessary to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of temple funds.

The development comes days after the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a request from the temple trust amid allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.

The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S. and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.

The court did not pass any order on the merits of the allegations and only declined the request for an out-of-turn hearing.