Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 18 (ANI): The Home Department of the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday handed over the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) final report in the Ayodhya Ram Temple donations theft case, along with necessary action, to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust, sources said.
According to sources, the final report by the SIT has been submitted to the temple trust following the necessary action by the Uttar Pradesh Home Department.
The development relates to the case concerning the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
The Uttar Pradesh government had reconstituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, inducting three senior IPS officers into the investigation. The newly constituted SIT was headed by IG Kiran S, with DIG Ayodhya Somen Verma and SSP Ayodhya Dr Gaurav Grover. The earlier SIT had comprised Lucknow Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar, among other officials.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Supreme Court stated that the status report submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government on the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into alleged financial irregularities and misappropriation of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust cannot be shared with petitioners or other persons at this stage.
The Court, however, permitted the petitioners and other public-spirited persons to submit suggestions concerning the investigation to the office of the Solicitor General, which would place them before the SIT for consideration.
A bench led by CJI Surya Kant has directed the newly constituted SIT to submit a status report on the next date of hearing.
The alleged multi-lakh rupee donation scam has involved allegations of systematic theft of offerings by temple staff and bank employees. The issue has also led to demands from the Opposition for higher-level accountability.
Eight individuals, Avinash Shukla, Ankalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Rama Shankar alias Tinnu, have been arrested in connection with the case and were sent to judicial remand.
The FIR was registered on June 25 at the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station on a complaint filed by Krishanmohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The complaint alleges a conspiracy involving temple staff engaged in counting and managing devotees’ offerings and accuses them of systematic theft and misappropriation of donation funds.
The alleged irregularities have triggered a wider political confrontation, with the issue becoming a point of contention between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition. The probe into the alleged embezzlement is continuing, while the political dispute over accountability and the demand for a debate have intensified.
The case remains under investigation, with the allegations and circumstances surrounding the alleged misappropriation of donation funds being examined. (ANI)
Related reading
