- 105 instances of donation theft at Ayodhya Ram Mandir were caught on temple CCTV
- SIT investigation nearing completion; charge sheet to be filed by September 25
- Eight accused arrested and charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and corruption law
One hundred and five instances of donation theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya were caught on temple CCTV, the Supreme Court was informed on Monday.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, quoting the report of the Special Investigation Team probing the donation theft, gave the top court details of the investigation.
The Solicitor General also informed the court that the SIT investigation is nearing completion and the charge sheet will be filed by September 25. The court directed the magistrate to take action on the charge sheet in accordance with the law.
The Supreme Court reviewed the SIT's status report while hearing the case related to the alleged donation theft. During the proceedings, the court was informed about the number of arrests made so far and the evidence gathered regarding the theft of donations; the available evidence was also presented to the court.
Details concerning CCTV footage, witness statements, and other evidence were also shared.
The status report outlined how CCTV footage and other materials were analysed to identify the accused. The Supreme Court has taken all the given information on record.
Ayodhya Ram Temple
The report further explained that receipts for valuables are generated using software, and the items are stored in a State Bank of India (SBI) locker.
The SIT report revealed that 105 incidents of donation theft were identified through CCTV footage.
During the hearing, the petitioners requested a copy of the SIT report, but the Supreme Court declined the request. The bench led by the Chief Justice stated that it did not wish to take the matter out of the Sessions Judge's hands, adding that it would pass an order if it deemed further investigation necessary.
Top Ram Mandir Trust officials Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were removed from their posts after the donation theft issues exploded earlier this year.
Furthermore, a CEO-led administrative structure has been implemented within the trust, with former military officer Jitendra Mishra appointed as CEO. He has stated that changes will be made to the system and that future operations will be an improvement over the past.
Retired Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra has been appointed Ram Mandir Trust CEO
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 in the matter.
The panel had submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23, making several stringent recommendations.
The FIR named eight people - Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu - and other unidentified individuals as accused. All of them have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
