# SC allows public suggestions in Ram Mandir donation theft probe 2026-08-17T15:16:41+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court on Monday permitted petitioners and public-spirited individuals to submit suggestions to the Solicitor General's office on aspects the Special Investigation Team (SIT) should probe regarding alleged theft of donations to the Ram Mandir trust in Ayodhya. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the suggestions would be forwarded to the SIT for objective consideration. The court also ordered the SIT to submit a status report in a sealed cover. The bench refused to link the investigation to the original Ramjanmabhoomi title dispute, which was disposed of in 2019. Deccan Herald reports that the court declined to entertain an application by Nirmohi Akhara seeking to convert the trust into a public trust, saying it was a separate matter. Hindustan Times adds that the court made clear its monitoring was confined to the investigation and had nothing to do with the main case. The SIT, which includes a forensic auditor, was constituted by the court on July 27. Allegations surfaced in June over suspected siphoning of donations before they were deposited into designated bank accounts. Eight accused have been arrested and nearly Rs 80 lakh allegedly diverted from temple donations recovered, according to earlier proceedings. The matter has been posted for further consideration after three weeks. ## Coverage - deccanherald.com - hindustantimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T19:40:51+00:00. Tags: Ayodhya, Nirmohi Akhara, Ram Mandir Trust, SIT, Supreme Court, Tushar Mehta Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-allows-public-suggestions-on-ram-mandir-donation-theft-probe/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-allows-public-suggestions-on-ram-mandir-donation-theft-probe/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/