The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram Temple gave a clean chit to the Trust’s former general secretary, Champat Rai in its first report, people aware of the developments said.
It was headed by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant with inspector general of police (Lucknow range) Kiran S and special secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar as members. The case was registered at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station on a complaint by trust member Krishna Mohan. Eight accused named in the FIR, Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, have been arrested and are in jail.
The first SIT was constituted on June 13 on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
After the landmark 2019 Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, the temple trust was set up by the Government of India to oversee the construction of the temple and was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020, according to its website. Out of its 15 members, 12 were set up by the government and in its first meeting, another three members were picked, said the trust’s website.
A second SIT, constituted under the Supreme Court’s supervision, is continuing its probe into the case. The second SIT, headed by IG Lucknow range Kiran S, is currently overseeing the investigation in the case registered in Ayodhya pursuant to the Supreme Court’s directions. The preliminary inquiry flagged prima facie irregularities in the handling of cash and valuables offered by devotees.
People familiar with the investigation said the SIT scrutinised the entire donation management chain, including collection boxes, cash counting, storage, accounting procedures, access control and CCTV surveillance.
