India
oi-Swastika Sruti
The Ayodhya Ram Temple is under the buzz not for the good reasons but the fund theft case. Amid the ongoing investigation, eight accused have been ordered to be sent to judicial custody until June 29.
Eight accused, including bank employees, in the Ayodhya Ram Temple fund theft case were remanded to judicial custody until June 29, with nearly ₹80 lakh recovered and 70 alleged theft attempts identified amid procedural lapses.
On Friday, all eight accused were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Ayodhya after their arrest.
The court remanded Tinnu Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav and Ramshankar Mishra to judicial custody until June 29. They will be produced before the court again on that date.
According to Prosecution Officer K.C. Verma, the remand was granted because the Special Court dealing with Prevention of Corruption Act cases was not functioning on Friday.
Nearly ₹80 Lakh Recovered During Investigation
Investigators said they recovered a total of ₹79,85,493 from seven of the accused.
According to the prosecution, no cash was recovered from Subhash Srivastava, although officials claim he was part of the alleged conspiracy.
The recovered money varied from one accused to another, and investigators are continuing to trace the remaining funds.
Bank Employees Among the Accused
Officials said that five to six of the arrested individuals were employees of the State Bank of India who had been assigned the responsibility of counting donations received at the Ram Temple.
These employees were reportedly working as part of the donation counting process while drawing salaries from the bank.
Investigators clarified that Tinnu Yadav was not a bank employee but worked as a driver, while Subhash Srivastava allegedly supervised the donation counting operations.
Authorities have not disclosed the identities of the bank employees as the investigation is still underway.
SIT Finds 70 Alleged Theft Attempts
One of the biggest revelations in the investigation came from CCTV footage examined by the Special Investigation Team.
According to officials, the SIT reviewed surveillance footage recorded between April 27 and June 5 and identified 70 alleged instances of theft or attempted theft of temple donations during the 39-day period.
Investigators believe these incidents were captured only in areas covered by CCTV cameras, raising concerns that additional thefts may have gone undetected in locations without surveillance.
The findings have prompted investigators to widen the scope of the probe.
Probe Reveals Major Procedural Lapses
The SIT has also pointed to several weaknesses in the management of temple donations.
According to investigators, CCTV coverage at the temple was inadequate, making it difficult to monitor all donation handling activities.
The investigation further found discrepancies in cash-counting records and audit reports. Officials also noted weaknesses in internal controls and documentation related to the counting and management of donations.
Investigators believe these procedural shortcomings may have made the alleged embezzlement easier to carry out.
Trust Officials Reportedly Step Down
Amid the controversy, sources said Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have tendered their resignations, taking moral responsibility in connection with the case.
However, there has been no official confirmation from the Trust regarding the reported resignations. The case was registered after a preliminary report submitted by the Special Investigation Team. Both the SIT and Ayodhya Police are continuing their investigation under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
