The Uttar Pradesh government has extended the tenure of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of devotees’ offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya by another two weeks, allowing the panel to continue its inquiry till July 30.
Sources familiar with the development said the three-member administrative SIT sought additional time to complete its exercise, following which the state government approved the extension.
The government is also examining the recent directions of the Supreme Court in connection with the matter and is expected to take an appropriate decision on the future course of the probe in accordance with the apex court’s orders, officials said. Constituted on June 13, the SIT received its previous extension till July 15.
According to sources, the government is considering reconstituting the investigative mechanism by setting up a separate criminal investigation team headed by a senior IPS officer instead of an IAS officer. The proposed panel is likely to include two additional senior police officers and would focus on the criminal aspects of the alleged cash pilferage, while the existing administrative inquiry examines procedural lapses and systemic failures.
