Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Pradeep Rai told a bench of CJI Surya Kant that Upadhyay was the whistleblower and the first to report the alleged misappropriation of monies donated by devotees at the Ayodhya temple. He said since UP Police is vindictive, investigations into the alleged road accident case lodged against him coupled with charges under SC/ST Act should be transferred to an independent agency.