SIT Finds 105 Donation Thefts on Ram Mandir CCTV, Charge Sheet by Sept 25
The Supreme Court was told that 105 donation thefts at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir were captured on CCTV, with the SIT set to file its charge sheet by September 25.
The Special Investigation Team probing the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has identified 105 separate instances of theft through temple CCTV footage, the Supreme Court was informed on Monday.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, presenting the SIT's status report, told the court that the investigation is nearing completion and that the charge sheet will be filed by September 25. The court directed the magistrate to act on the charge sheet in accordance with the law.
The bench, led by the Chief Justice, was briefed on the number of arrests made so far and the evidence gathered, including CCTV footage, witness statements and other material. The report described how footage and related records were analysed to identify those accused.
According to the report, receipts for valuables are generated through software and the items are stored in a State Bank of India locker.
Eight people have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. They are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, along with other unidentified individuals named in the FIR.
The petitioners sought a copy of the SIT report, but the court declined, stating it did not wish to take the matter out of the Sessions Judge's hands and would pass an order if further investigation were deemed necessary. All information placed before the court was taken on record.
The three-member SIT, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, was constituted by the state government on June 13 at the request of the Trust, before the Supreme Court intervened. It submitted a preliminary report to the state government on June 23 with several stringent recommendations.
Following the controversy, top Ram Mandir Trust officials Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were removed from their posts. A CEO-led administrative structure has since been put in place, with retired Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra appointed as CEO. He has said the system will be changed and future operations will improve on the past.