Lucknow: The Supreme Court-mandated Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday filed a nearly 70,000-page charge sheet against eight arrested accused in the Ram Temple donation theft case, alleging they siphoned off cash during the counting of offerings inside Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple premises. The probe team found no evidence of pilferage during the subsequent transfer of the money to banks, the charge sheet mentions.The chargesheet, filed before the additional district judge (anti-corruption) court in Ayodhya, draws on CCTV footage, witness statements, financial records and a forensic audit that purportedly identified 105 instances of unauthorised removal or concealment of currency from the counting room. However, there were no discrepancies in the record of over 800 donated valuable articles.Filed within the statutory 90-day period from the first arrest, the chargesheet names Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava. According to SIT, the suspected diversion took place during cash-counting operations, in some cases allegedly with the assistance of others involved in the process. The accused have been booked for criminal breach of trust and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.The voluminous document comprises around 70,000 pages, including annexures, more than 100 case diaries, statements of nearly 190 witnesses, banking records, property details, asset trails and a forensic audit report.The case was registered in June after a preliminary inquiry by SIT flagged suspected diversion of donations received at the temple. According to investigators, Rs 79.85 lakh in cash allegedly linked to the embezzlement was recovered during the probe from all accused except Srivastava.SIT, constituted pursuant to SC directions, was headed by Lucknow range IG Kiran S, with DIG Faizabad Range Somen Barma and Ayodhya SSP Gaurav Grover as members. A status report submitted by SIT to Supreme Court and taken on record earlier this week revealed that investigators identified 105 instances of unauthorised removal or concealment of currency from the counting room. The findings emerged from examination of CCTV footage from the counting facility housed in PFC building, along with analysis of other digital evidence.According to the chargesheet, the probe tracked the entire flow of donations, from collection boxes and donation counters to bank deposits. It also scrutinised bank accounts, deposits and withdrawals, properties, vehicles, jewellery and other assets linked to the accused to establish the money trail and determine whether any assets were disproportionate to known sources of income.A forensic audit conducted with the assistance of ASA & Associates LLP formed a key component of the investigation. The auditors examined donation-handling procedures, online deposits, banking transactions and reconciled financial records with audited statements of the trust.The investigation relied on extensive material, including CCTV footage, witness statements, search and seizure records, bank documents, property papers, mobile phone data and call detail records.SIT recorded statements of 173 witnesses, including trust functionaries, banking and accounting personnel, security staff, CCTV operators, chartered accountants and vendors associated with temple operations.Investigators also carried out a detailed verification of valuables donated to the temple. Records of 803 donated articles registered through the trust’s TCS software were physically verified in an SBI locker, with no discrepancies detected. The probe also identified and physically checked 86 valuable items for which receipts had not been issued, to rule out any unaccounted donations.The probe further examined donations of silver, including 200 kg of silver bricks, a 38.288-kg consignment, a silver necklace, Charan Paduka and a copy of Ramcharitmanas. Investigators also verified around 944.411 kg of silver that had been sent to Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd for melting.Earlier this week, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed Supreme Court that the investigation had been completed and SIT intended to file its chargesheet by Sept 25. Taking the submission on record, the apex court directed that a copy of the chargesheet be furnished before it after filing and posted the matter for further consideration on Nov 2.
