The controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in donations to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple is no longer merely about missing cash or precious metals. It has become a test of whether India’s public institutions can uphold accountability when faith, politics and national symbolism intersect. The resignations of senior office-bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust while an investigation is underway have only heightened the need for a process that is beyond reproach.

It is important to distinguish between allegation and proof. An FIR has been registered, arrests have been made, and a Special Investigation Team has reported preliminary findings that warranted further criminal investigation. Yet no court has concluded that embezzlement occurred or that any individual is guilty. That distinction is fundamental to the rule of law and must be preserved irrespective of the emotions surrounding the issue. At the same time, the seriousness of the allegations cannot be minimised. The Ram temple is not an ordinary religious institution. It is the culmination of one of independent India’s longest and most consequential legal, political and social movements.

Its construction followed a Supreme........

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