Overview
- A government Special Investigation Team filed a chargesheet that reporters say documents 105 separate instances of cash removal from the temple donation‑counting area and names several accused people.
- The Congress intensified calls on Tuesday for an independent probe under Supreme Court supervision and publicly urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to answer questions about oversight.
- A private audit from November 2020 warned the Trust of weak internal controls, unclear staff responsibilities and the lack of standard operating procedures for handling donations, and those recommendations were reportedly not implemented.
- An engineer linked to the project, Dinanath Verma, has alleged he was removed after flagging alleged irregularities including about 40% commissions on contracts, ghost workers on payrolls, and inflated material bills.
- Critics highlight a reported delay between receipt of a video showing cash near the counting room on June 4 and the FIR filed on June 25, and they say electoral stakes in Uttar Pradesh mean the dispute could shape voter perceptions if accountability is not seen to follow.