During Monday’s hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government, informed the Supreme Court bench that a chargesheet had already been filed in the case. He stated that the alleged theft incidents primarily took place during the counting of donations received at the temple. The court also considered the status report submitted by the state government.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed that, according to the state government’s report, a chargesheet had been filed against the accused before the lower court. In view of this development, the Supreme Court disposed of the pending writ petitions and related proceedings. The further legal proceedings will now continue before the concerned court in accordance with the law.
Petitioners Allowed to Assist the Magistrate
During the hearing, considering the public interest involved in the matter, the bench also permitted the petitioners to assist the judicial magistrate during the proceedings. The court stated that the petitioners could assist the magistrate in the same manner as permitted by law for victims of an offence during judicial proceedings.
It is worth mentioning that several petitions had been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a fair and independent investigation into the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple.
Following the filing of the chargesheet, the apex court has now disposed of those petitions. However, further hearings and legal proceedings in the case will continue before the lower court.
