Special Investigation Team To Submit Report On Ram Temple Donation Theft Shortly

Lucknow: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the highly sensitive donation theft case at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is highly likely to submit its final comprehensive report to the Uttar Pradesh government within the next 24 hours. According to highly placed official sources, the three-member high-level panel, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, is finalizing its extensive findings to present them to the state administration by tonight or Friday.

The high-stakes probe, which has already sent shockwaves through the temple's administration, was constituted on June 13 following widespread media reports and an official request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The investigation focuses on massive financial irregularities, glaring security lapses, and the systematic pilferage of cash and valuables offered by millions of devotees.

A preliminary nine-page report submitted by the team in late June had exposed massive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) violations inside the counting rooms. It revealed that staff members lacked pocketless uniforms, mandatory physical frisking was completely ignored, and CCTV footage retention rules were heavily compromised. This initial report led to the registration of a criminal FIR, the immediate arrest of eight key accused—including the cash-counting room supervisors—and forced the high-profile resignations of top trust officials, including General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra.

The upcoming final report is expected to recommend sweeping administrative overhauls and cutting-edge technological safeguards. Sources indicate the panel will propose an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based real-time surveillance system to monitor cash movement, strict multi-layered