The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has completed its probe into the alleged theft and misappropriation of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. Its report records 105 instances of suspected unauthorised removal or concealment of cash from the counting room.
The findings were submitted in a status report dated September 16 and examined by the Supreme Court. According to the report, CCTV footage from the counting room at the Pilgrim Facility Centre and other digital evidence showed 105 such instances. The SIT said the incidents involved assistance from other people taking part in the counting process.
The investigation has identified eight accused. The SIT claims to have examined their bank accounts, movable and immovable assets, mobile phone data, call records, CCTV footage, financial documents and other material collected during the probe. It als claimed that it has recorded statements from 173 witnesses by September 14. The witnesses included temple trust functionaries, accounting staff, bank officials, security personnel and chartered accountants.
The latest count of 105 CCTV-recorded incidents is higher than the 70 suspected thefts reported in the preliminary investigation in July. Investigators had then found that the alleged cash pilferage took place during the evening counting shift over about 40 days.
803 valuable items checked
The SIT said it had examined the records of valuable articles donated to the temple. Receipts generated through the TCS software for 803 valuable articles were verified against the records available with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The report found no discrepancy in these 803 articles. The items were stored in a State Bank of India locker, which was also physically checked during the investigation.
The investigation identified 86 valuable articles for which receipts had not been issued. These articles were identified and physically verified, according to the status report placed before the top court.
The distinction between the two sets of valuables is part of the SIT’s detailed verification of the temple’s donation records. The team claimed it had examined the records available for the articles and checked the physical items where required.
What happened to the silver?
The SIT said it had examined records concerning around 944.411 kg of white metal described as silver. The material had been sent by the temple trust to the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) for melting.
The investigation examined the records related to the material as part of its verification of silver donations.
The SIT said it separately checked allegations involving 200 kg and 38.288 kg silver bricks, along with a silver necklace, Charan Paduka and a Ramcharitmanas donation.
The report said the allegations involving these donations were verified by examining the people involved and relevant records. It found no discrepancy in these cases. The Supreme Court’s order records the SIT’s finding that the donations had been duly verified.
An earlier stage of the investigation had also examined claims surrounding donated silver bars and bricks. The SIT had said that the silver was not found to have been stolen, with much of the material having been melted or sent for minting as part of the temple’s handling process.
Eight accused, 173 witnesses
The cash-related investigation, according to the SIT, has examined the counting room and the people who handled donations during the counting process. The SIT report said the evidence collected so far was used to identify the suspected role of each accused.
The investigating team said the probe covered several areas at the same time, including suspected cash misappropriation, the people involved, the movement of suspected proceeds, bank accounts and properties, electronic evidence, valuable articles and the reconciliation of donation and banking records.
The Supreme Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to include a forensic auditor in the investigation. The SIT was constituted following allegations of irregularities in the handling of temple donations, with the court seeking an independent investigation into the matter.
Chargesheet by September 25
The next major step is the filing of the chargesheet. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that the SIT plans to file it on or before September 25, when 90 days from the first arrest will expire.
He told the bench that the chargesheet needed to be filed before the statutory period ended because the accused could otherwise become eligible for default bail. The apex court said it wanted to see a copy of the chargesheet after it is filed. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on November 2.
The chargesheet will bring together the evidence gathered during the investigation, including the CCTV footage, financial records, witness statements, digital evidence and verification of valuable donations. The SIT’s September 16 status report has given the court details of the material examined during the probe.
The investigation has therefore moved from the preliminary findings that first identified suspected theft during the counting process to a completed probe involving 105 CCTV-recorded incidents, eight accused people, 173 witness statements and detailed checks of hundreds of valuable donations.
