Overview
- The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust asked the Uttar Pradesh government for an independent inquiry and the state on Saturday formed a three‑member Special Investigation Team led by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant.
- The SIT includes IG Kiran S and finance special secretary Neel Ratan and has been ordered to deliver a preliminary report in seven days and a final report in 15 days.
- Investigators have detained or questioned employees who handled cash counting and reported recovering roughly Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh from the home of a former counting staffer while searches, CCTV checks and evidence collection continue.
- The Trust says it runs periodic internal audits with bank representatives and has found no major irregularity so far, while temple officials have suggested any shortfall could reflect miscalculation during off‑site counting rather than theft at donation counters.
- Political pressure for full public disclosure or a judicial probe has grown after Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav alleged crores were missing and senior BJP figures urged the Trust to publish detailed accounts and asset records, a demand that could prompt tighter oversight of temple donations.