Ayodhya: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya is expected to revisit the temple town shortly to inspect records and question officials of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, government sources said.
The SIT, led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 13 after claims that cash and valuables donated at the temple had been siphoned off. The team submitted an initial report to the state government on June 23, and its term was extended by 15 days on July 1 to complete further inquiries.
Review Of Donation Handling
Investigators plan to scrutinise the temple’s system for receiving and recording donations, and to assess whether lapses in procedure enabled the alleged thefts, PTI reported. The SIT’s preliminary findings reportedly noted repeated breaches of security protocols during cash counting and considered whether weak supervision helped facilitate the misappropriation.
The inquiry has prompted the trust to reassess how it banks donations. At present, cash from temple donation boxes is deposited at the State Bank of India (SBI) branch at Naya Ghat in Ayodhya. Trust officials are exploring alternatives, including appointing a different bank or dividing deposits across several banks, according to sources.
Sources said the trust’s treasurer, Govind Dev Giri, met officials of a private-sector bank earlier this week as part of that review.
Allegations Against SBI
In his statement to the SIT, former trust general secretary Champat Rai alleged lapses by SBI during cash handling, saying the bank did not enforce basic safeguards such as frisking counting staff, providing pocketless uniforms and following other security norms for high-value cash operations.
Police have broadened the financial dimension of the probe, seeking information on the accused persons’ incomes, bank accounts, investments and assets from the Income Tax Department, banks, tehsil offices and sub-registrar offices.
Investigators are checking whether those arrested purchased property or made investments outside Ayodhya or transferred assets into relatives’ or associates’ names. Banking transactions, land records, property registrations, revenue documents and vehicle registrations are being examined to determine if assets are disproportionate to known incomes.
So far eight people, including temple employees involved in counting donations, have been arrested. Authorities have recovered about Rs 80 lakh in cash and some jewellery from some of the accused.
Security Changes At Mathura Temple
Meanwhile, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Mathura has tightened access controls by stopping the issuance of VIP passes generated using the identification credentials of former trust general secretary Champat Rai, trustee Gopal Rao and Dr Anil Mishra. The credentials were deactivated after the three resigned from their posts, invalidating previously issued passes, sources said.
Custodial Remand Plea
Police have sought seven days’ custodial remand for two jailed suspects, saying new disclosures require verification and recovery of evidence. The Anti-Corruption Court is due to hear the remand plea on July 14.
