Ayodhya: The Special Investigation Team examining allegations of donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has exonerated the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s former general secretary, Champat Rai, giving him a clean chit in its final report.
The panel has also cleared the name of Anil Mishra, a former member of the Trust. Both Rai and Mishra stepped down from the Trust that oversees the Ayodhya Ram Mandir after allegations of donation theft came to light.
The final SIT report into the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft was handed over by the Uttar Pradesh Home Department on Monday to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is now expected to decide on further action,a s reported by NDTV.
Rai and Mishra had already stepped down from the Trust on June 27 after the theft allegations broke, and were subsequently questioned by the SIT on how donations were being managed at the temple.
During interrogation, sources indicate Rai denied any involvement in the theft, saying the suspects were arrested following his complaint, and asserted that ensuring no irregularities in donation collection was his duty and that he acted as soon as he detected misconduct.
The three-member SIT, constituted by the state on June 13 at the Trust’s request before Supreme Court intervention, is led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, with Range IG Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar as the other members.
Its preliminary report, submitted on June 23 with stringent recommendations, led Trust member Krishnamohan to lodge a written complaint at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station, resulting in an FIR on June 25.
The FIR listed eight accused — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu — plus other unidentified individuals; all have been arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, with the preliminary report also triggering subsequent FIRs and arrest actions.
