Ram Temple Theft Probe: UP SIT Files Status Report A Day Before Supreme Court Hearing

Ayodhya: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government to investigate alleged misappropriation of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple has filed its status report before the Supreme Court. According to sources, the sealed-cover report was placed before a 3-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. The SIT filed the report a day ahead of the apex court’s scheduled hearing on the matter on Monday.

The development followed a direction issued by the court on July 13, when it asked the SIT to furnish an update and also issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The bench, which also comprised Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, was hearing four separate petitions relating to the case.

Court Had Sought SIT Update Last Month

During the previous hearing, the court had noted that several of the petitions alleged that FIRs had already been registered and that an SIT had been formed by the state. 

The bench had noted, "Since it is averred in some of the writ petitions that some FIRs have already been registered and an SIT has been constituted to investigate the matter, we direct the SIT constituted by the State of Uttar Pradesh to submit a status report before this court." Now with the report submitted, the court is expected to examine its contents when it takes up the matter again.

Nirmohi Akhara Seeks Trust Reconstitution

Alongside the ongoing probe, the Nirmohi Akhara has moved the Supreme Court seeking fresh directions on the administration of the temple trust. The Akhara has asked the court to order a reconstitution of the Ram Temple Trust, stressing that it lacks adequate accountability. It has also urged the bench to ensure that the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case is implemented faithfully.

Nirmohi Akhara member Mahant Dinendra Das, who is also a member of the trust, spoke to news agency ANI about the current situation. He said that the Akhara operates under a Panchayati system and that the decisions are binding on all members, saying, “Everything regarding Lord Ram is proceeding smoothly; even the religious recitations are continuing. Everyone is cooperating in this. We will achieve success.”

Arrests And Recoveries

The police investigation into the alleged embezzlement has continued in parallel, with multiple arrests and seizure of alleged stolen money. The police have taken into custody the main accused, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, described as a close aide of Champat Rai, and his nephew Manish Yadav. According to senior officials, Rs 1 lakh was recovered from Tinnu’s residence and Rs 2 lakh from Manish’s house.

The police asserted that both men would be taken to various locations connected to the alleged theft in an effort to trace more of the missing cash and valuables. The case related to claims that donations collected for the construction and upkeep of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were siphoned off. The SIT was constituted by the state government to examine those allegations, and the findings are now before the country’s top court.