New Delhi: The investigation into alleged theft of devotees’ donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has reached the Supreme Court, with the Uttar Pradesh government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) reporting 105 suspected theft incidents captured on CCTV.
Because the accused have been in custody since their arrests in June, the deadline has legal importance.
The state told the court that the chargesheet would be filed within the applicable statutory period. The court said the magistrate should deal with the chargesheet according to law.
The court took the status report on record and was informed about the evidence gathered so far, including CCTV footage, witness statements and other material used to identify the accused. The status report explains how investigators analysed CCTV footage and other material to establish the alleged roles of those under investigation. The evidence presented to the court included footage from the temple’s donation-counting process and statements from witnesses. In July, the court also issued notice to the temple trust.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a top court bench on Monday (September 21) that the SIT had examined CCTV footage and other material collected during the investigation. Mehta told the apex court the SIT investigation is almost complete, and the chargesheet will be filed by September 25.
The SIT also told the court about the system used to record valuable offerings. Receipts for valuables are generated through software, and the items are kept in a State Bank of India locker, according to the report. The bench said it did not want to take the matter away from the sessions judge at this stage. It also said if it felt further investigation is needed, it can pass an appropriate order.
The Supreme Court had earlier sought a status report from the UP government after petitions sought a fair investigation into the alleged handling of donations at the temple.
