A Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh Government to look into allegations of financial irregularities and misappropriation of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple will submit its report to the Supreme Court on Monday.A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, which had on July 13 directed the SIT to file a status report in a sealed cover mentioning the composition of the SIT, will peruse the report on July 20.The SIT comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan had submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh Government on June 23, following which an FIR was registered and Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ashutosh Tiwari was appointed the lead investigating officer of the case.Eight accused — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav — have been arrested. The accused were involved in counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram Temple.The Supreme Court had on July 13 issued notice to Centre, UP Government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on three PILs seeking an independent probe by the CBI under the top court’s direct supervision into the finances of the Trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations at Ram Temple, Ayodhya.The CJI-led Bench will also peruse replies filed by the Centre, UP Government and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to three PILs seeking CBI probe by the CBI under the top court’s direct supervision into the finances of the Trust.Following the resignations of its General Secretary Champat Rai and senior member Anil Mishra, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has invited applications for appointment of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to professionalise its functioning.Ahead of the Monday hearing on donation theft, the Nirmohi Akhara has moved the Supreme Court seeking reconstitution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that manages the Ayodhya Temple, alleging the present set-up lacked accountability and was inconsistent with the 2019 Ayodhya verdict.The Nirmohi Akhara — a prominent Hindu religious denomination which was one of the petitioners in the Ayodhya dispute — has sought a forensic audit of all financial and property transactions done by its board of trustees and restoration of the 1950 and 1982 idols at the site in place of the newly consecrated idol.It also sought appointment of an independent panel to examine if the Supreme Court’s directions in its November 9, 2019, Ayodhya verdict had been faithfully implemented by the Trust. The Akhara has filed a miscellaneous application in the disposed of Ayodhya title dispute seeking implementation of the directions issued by the Constitution Bench in its November 9, 2019 judgment.The first PIL filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, a petitioner-in-person, sought a CBI probe into the matter and an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of the finances of the Trust.The second one by petitioners-in-person advocates Ajay Kumar Rai and Dinesh Kumar Yadav has also sought a fair and time-bound probe by a CBI-led multi-disciplinary SIT into allegations of misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple. They wanted the SIT to investigate the alleged financial irregularities and other purported “illegalities” concerning the affairs and administration of the Trust.Filed by RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, the third PIL sought transfer of the ongoing probe to the CBI under top court’s direct supervision.Citing an ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and the reported recovery of Rs. 77 lakh from the eight accused arrested in the case, the PIL filed by RJD MP from Buxar submitted that it’s of exceptional public importance to safeguard the administration of the Trust and protect the offerings made by millions of devotees.Singh sought a comprehensive forensic audit of all donations, transactions and assets of the Trust by an independent agency. The Trust should be directed to publish audited financial statements and donation records on its official website in the interest of public transparency, the PIL demanded.The PIL also sought directions to preserve all financial records, including physical documents, digital ledgers, UPI transaction logs and bank statements, to prevent any alleged tampering with evidence and an order restraining the Trust from undertaking major investments, entering into substantial contracts or taking significant financial decisions without the prior approval of the proposed Oversight Committee.Singh wanted the top court to appoint a temporary, court-monitored Oversight Committee consisting of retired judicial officers and financial experts to oversee the Trust’s secular financial affairs during the pendency of the investigation.