Overview
- The Uttar Pradesh government set up a three‑member Special Investigation Team and asked for a preliminary report in seven days and a final report in 15 days; the panel is led by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant with IGP Kiran S and finance special secretary Neel Ratan.
- The SIT reached Ayodhya and began work from the temple’s cash‑counting room on Monday, retrieving CCTV data boxes, examining the vault and daily registers, and setting up a camp to continue the inquiry.
- Investigators have questioned dozens of people linked to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust including senior officials and staff who had direct access to counting rooms.
- Media sources report that five to six employees are under suspicion and that nearly Rs 2 crore in cash was recovered, but authorities have not officially confirmed arrests or final findings.
- The Trust asked for the probe and denies substantive irregularities, while opposition parties demand a court‑monitored judicial inquiry and the investigation could prompt changes to counting, custody and CCTV retention policies.