UP reconstitutes SIT in Ram Temple donation embezzlement case; three IPS officers to lead probe

The newly constituted SIT is headed by IG Kiran S, with DIG Ayodhya Somen Verma and SSP Ayodhya Dr Gaurav Grover as members.

The earlier SIT had comprised Lucknow Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar, among other officials.

The move comes after the Supreme Court, during the July 13 hearing, directed the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a fresh SIT under the leadership of a senior IPS officer. The order was passed by a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan.

The apex court also directed that a status report be submitted on July 27. Following the court's order, the state government reconstituted the SIT. Sources said the new team has already begun its investigation.

The case relates to the alleged embezzlement of offerings (chadhava) at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. The previous SIT conducted an extensive probe, examining CCTV footage, donation registers, cash-handling procedures and financial records. It questioned several temple employees and submitted a preliminary report pointing to alleged irregularities in the counting and deposit of temple offerings.

Based on the probe, police arrested key accused and recovered cash, vehicles, investment-related documents and other assets allegedly purchased using the misappropriated funds. Searches were conducted at multiple locations, while digital evidence and financial transactions were also scrutinised.

The Supreme Court observed that criminal investigations and technical examination of theft-related cases are more effectively handled by experienced police officers, leading to the reconstitution of the SIT under senior IPS leadership.

The newly formed team is now expected to carry the probe forward and submit its status report before the apex court on July 27. (ANI)