Overview
- A state-appointed three-member Special Investigation Team delivered a preliminary report that led the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to file an FIR on June 25 naming eight people linked to counting donations.
- Police arrested the eight accused and secured judicial remand for them after investigators reported recovering about Rs 79.85 lakh during searches and record reviews.
- SIT investigators say they found keys to donation boxes with an aide known as Tinnu, evidence that some staff blocked CCTV views, and allegations that cash was hidden in clothing during counting.
- Senior trust officials Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra were reported to have stepped down on moral grounds, donors including a Sindhi group from Pimpri are seeking the whereabouts of specific offerings, and opposition parties are pressing for a court- or CBI-monitored probe.
- The case has focused attention on the trust's large donation pool and bank-handling procedures and could prompt tighter oversight of how temple offerings are counted, stored, and audited going forward.