Overview
- The Uttar Pradesh government set up a three‑member Special Investigation Team on June 13 after allegations surfaced that crores in donations to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust were unaccounted for.
- This week the SIT has been examining CCTV footage, inspecting donation boxes, cross‑checking bank and counting records and questioning senior trust officials including general secretary Champat Rai, administrator Gopal Rao and trust member Dr Anil Mishra.
- Investigators have questioned counting staff, detained at least one employee for questioning and reported recovery of cash during searches as they probe links between cash handling and recent property purchases by some workers.
- The trust denies wrongdoing, says it sought an impartial inquiry and has provided records, while opposition parties have served legal notices, filed complaints and pressed for a court‑monitored or judicial inquiry and public release of the SIT report.
- Public scrutiny has widened to the trust’s spending lines — security, bhog/prasad and land purchases — prompting calls for stronger governance, including appointing a professional CEO or administrator for the temple complex and closer external audits.