The Special Investigation Team arrives to investigate the alleged theft of donations to the Ayodhya Ram Temple in Ayodhya on July 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya is likely to conduct a repeat audit of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s accounts for the past five years, government sources said on Friday (July 3, 2026). This comes after the preliminary investigation hinted at large-scale anomalies and irregularities.The re-audit is likely to cover construction-related expenditure as well as the jewellery, gold, and silver items received as donations. The SIT team will also carry out a detailed scrutiny of the Trust’s financial records over the entire five-year period.The SIT — comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General (Lucknow Range) Kiran S., and Special Secretary in the State Finance Department Neelratan Kumar — reached the Ram Temple on Friday (July 3, 2026) and spoke with multiple people. Suspects questionedMeanwhile, the Ayodhya police interrogated key suspect Avinash Shukla, who was part of the donation-counting process at the temple and had previously been arrested in connection with the case. A local court remanded him to police custody for 24 hours on Thursday (July 2, 2026). He is among eight accused who have been arrested in the case so far.The SIT has already questioned Trust general secretary Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao, who has been involved in the temple’s construction and management. Mr. Rai and Mr. Mishra have submitted their resignations from their respective positions, and the Trust is expected to take a call on them at its meeting on July 6. ‘Have faith in probe’Amid a political firestorm over the case, Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad said that people should have faith in the investigation.“Corruption existed in the past too, but everything used to be hushed up. Previous governments used to give protection to the corrupt. In our tenure, however, these cases are being exposed, and punishments are being handed out,” he said.“One should have faith in the investigation. Instead of making statements to shield the accused and mislead the public, one should support the action taken against corruption. The investigation follows a specific process until the file is closed. No one can be accused without evidence,” he added. Published - July 03, 2026 10:16 pm IST
