The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has cleared former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra of direct involvement in the case, according to the SIT’s final report submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government.
The Uttar Pradesh Home Department has forwarded the final report to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for further action. The development comes nearly two months after Rai and Mishra stepped down from their positions amid allegations of irregularities in the management and counting of temple donations.
During questioning by the SIT, Rai reportedly denied any role in the alleged wrongdoing and told investigators that he had himself initiated action after receiving information about suspected theft. He maintained that ensuring transparency in donation collection and preventing irregularities were among his responsibilities.
The three-member SIT was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 13 following a request from the temple trust. It was headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, with Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar as members.
The SIT had submitted an interim report on June 23, which flagged alleged supervisory and administrative lapses in the donation-counting process. Earlier reporting on the preliminary findings had specifically raised questions over Mishra’s oversight, while no documentary evidence directly linking Rai to financial or donation-counting decisions was reported.
Following the preliminary findings, Trust member Krishnamohan lodged a complaint at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station, leading to an FIR on June 25 against eight named persons and others. The accused included Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu. All eight were subsequently arrested, according to reports.
The final SIT findings mark a significant development in the case, although the wider investigation into alleged theft and lapses in the handling of devotees’ donations remains a matter of official scrutiny. The Supreme Court has also directed the SIT to submit a status report and take the investigation to its logical conclusion.
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