Chargesheet Filed in Ayodhya Ram Temple Donation Theft Case, Eight Named

Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday filed a chargesheet in the Ram Temple embezzlement case before a local court in Ayodhya, naming eight accused. The document sets out the sequence of events and the findings of the investigation into the alleged theft of cash and donations, sources said.

Kul Shekhar Singh of the Legal Aid Defense Council, representing the accused, said the filing came roughly 90 days into the case and was presented before the court by the investigating officer. The chargesheet pertains to Sections 316(5), 372, 375, 162, 131A and 132 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said.

The document, which includes annexures and supplementary material, runs into thousands of pages and has been described by investigators as among the most extensive submissions in the matter. It details how funds collected at the Ram temple were managed, their transfer to financial institutions, and the documentation and verification of large charitable contributions.

The court will now examine the chargesheet and fix a date for a hearing on its admissibility. Further legal action will be decided on the basis of the facts revealed, and the court records will clarify the roles of those named in the report.

Shortly after the chargesheet was filed, local advocates at the District Court halted work and went on strike in protest. They gathered outside the courtroom of the Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act), contending that a hearing should have been held on the objections they had raised before the chargesheet was submitted.