The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday, 14 July demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged irregularities in donations and jewellery handling at three major Hindu shrines — Ayodhya's Ram Temple, the Shri Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand, and the Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir. The demand comes amid mounting allegations that silver offerings at these temples were substituted with counterfeit items and that donations were misappropriated.

The Vaishno Devi Allegation

The immediate trigger for the controversy was a complaint filed by advocate Deepak Sharma to the Inspector General of the Crime Branch, alleging that silver offerings at the Vaishno Devi Temple in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir were substituted with fake silver and that the original silver was misappropriated. Initially, investigators had considered the possibility that devotees had unknowingly offered counterfeit silver, but Sharma's complaint pointed to deliberate substitution within the shrine's handling chain.

SP MLA Ravidas Mehrotra cited the case directly, claiming that 550 kilograms of silver offered at the Vaishno Devi Temple had allegedly been replaced with fake silver while the original silver went missing. 'At the Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu, the 550 kilograms of silver that had been offered was allegedly replaced with fake silver, while the original silver went missing. Across the country, the BJP has taken control of the trusts of several prominent temples and has looted donations, offerings, and gold and silver ornaments received at these temples,' Mehrotra said.

SP's Demand for a Judicial Probe

Mehrotra went further, calling for a court-supervised committee. 'We demand the formation of a committee under the leadership of a Supreme Court judge, which will probe the allegations of donation theft being made against several Hindu temples across the country,' he said. The SP's demand mirrors a similar call made by Congress the previous day, underscoring a convergence of opposition pressure on the issue.

Congress Targets BJP and RSS

Congress spokesperson Atul Londe Patil alleged that those appointed to manage prominent temple trusts had political affiliations. 'Starting from Champat Rai...all those who have been appointed have links with the RSS and the BJP. The thefts are taking place in front of our eyes, despite that some people are supporting it,' Patil said. He added that public faith was being 'utilised for politics, vote and note.'

Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera had on Monday separately demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into alleged misappropriation linked to the Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya. Khera alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had constituted the trust and that both the Prime Minister and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had 'proudly claimed credit for the temple's construction' but had 'fallen silent after allegations of corruption surfaced.'

BJP's Response

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Abhijeet Jasrotia did not dismiss the allegations outright, instead calling for due process. 'These are matters related to faith; when such allegations surface, these should be thoroughly probed. We have full faith in the courts that justice will be delivered,' Jasrotia said. Notably, the BJP's response stopped short of defending the temple trust management or contesting the specific allegations.

What Happens Next

No formal Supreme Court petition has been filed as of the report, and no government agency has announced an independent inquiry. The Crime Branch complaint filed by advocate Sharma remains the only active formal proceeding on record. With opposition parties from both the SP and Congress now aligned on the demand, pressure for a judicial or statutory investigation is likely to intensify in the coming days.