The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged embezzlement of offerings made at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. The decision follows directions issued by the Supreme Court, which asked the state to entrust the probe to a team headed by a senior IPS officer.
The reconstituted SIT will now continue the investigation and submit its findings before the apex court.
Senior IPS Officers Included in New SIT
The newly formed investigation team is headed by Inspector General (IG) Kiran S. It also includes Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ayodhya Somen Verma and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ayodhya Dr Gaurav Grover as members.
The previous SIT had been headed by Lucknow Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and included Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar along with other officials.
The state government reshuffled the team after the Supreme Court observed that criminal investigations involving theft and financial irregularities should be handled by experienced police officers.
Supreme Court Seeks Status Report
During the hearing held on July 13, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan directed the Uttar Pradesh government to form a fresh SIT under senior IPS leadership.
The court also instructed the state to submit a status report on July 27. Following these directions, the government notified the new SIT, which has reportedly begun its investigation.
Earlier Probe Found Alleged Financial Irregularities
The case concerns allegations of misappropriation of donations offered by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
During the earlier investigation, officials examined CCTV footage, donation registers, cash-handling procedures and financial records. Temple employees were questioned, and the preliminary inquiry reportedly pointed to irregularities in the counting and deposit of offerings.
Based on the findings, police arrested the main accused and seized cash, vehicles, investment-related documents and other assets allegedly acquired using the misappropriated funds. Investigators also examined digital evidence and financial transactions while conducting searches at several locations.
The newly constituted SIT is expected to take the investigation forward and place its progress report before the Supreme Court as directed.
