India's Ram Mandir donation scandal prompts calls for Supreme Court probe

Congress leader Rashid Alvi has accused those involved in the alleged misappropriation of Rs 7‑7.5 crore collected for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya of looting the temple, likening them to the historic invader Mahmud of Ghazni. He demanded that a Supreme Court or High Court‑led inquiry be instituted, calling for the strictest possible action against the accused.

An FIR filed on June 25 records the names of several individuals alleged to have embezzled the donations. The Uttar Pradesh government has formed a three‑member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the case after a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust. Alvi also criticised the SIT investigation as a mere façade and said the real culprits must be identified. In a related interview, Alvi and Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah committee head Syed Farid Ahmed Nizami argued that zakat should be directed to the needy rather than to mosques or shrines, emphasizing that religious institutions manage their own funds for community welfare.