Overview
- The three-member Special Investigation Team handed a preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday after a week-long inquiry that recorded about 150 statements and examined donation procedures.
- The report recommends concrete measures to tighten cash handling, including videographing removal of donations, mandatory daily cash records, weekly audits, restructuring the trust, appointing an administrative CEO, and extending CCTV retention from 45 days to 180 days.
- On Monday petitioners filed in the Supreme Court seeking registration of an FIR, a CBI-led, court-monitored SIT and orders to preserve all physical and digital records related to donations and banking.
- Investigators cited constrained evidence because of short CCTV retention and limited digital records, forcing reliance on witness statements; some reports also mention an alleged recovery of ₹10 lakh from a temple employee’s residence.
- The SIT will continue its inquiry with a final report due in about 10–15 days, and the case now moves into a legal phase that could determine whether a central probe or criminal charges follow and how trust governance will be changed.