The Uttar Pradesh government has granted a 15-day extension till July 15 to the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities in donation collections at the Ram Temple. Officials said investigators have additional time to expand the investigation to include the eight arrested defendants and determine whether systemic failures, procedural violations and institutional negligence enabled the alleged embezzlement.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the extension after the Special Investigation Squad sought more time to complete a thorough investigation before submitting its final report. “The government has directed the team to submit its report by July 15,” an official said.
Lucknow District Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General (Lucknow Range) Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neil Ratan, the three members of the special investigation team, are expected to return to Ayodhya to examine how cash offers moved from donation boxes to bank deposits and fix accountability at every stage.
The Special Court shifted its focus to the institutional framework governing the handling of donations after the arrest of the eight defendants. It will examine whether errors by officials responsible for supervision and deployment of the workforce created the conditions that facilitated the alleged violations.
The SIT was formed on June 13 at the request of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which runs the temple. It submitted its initial report on June 23, noting apparent irregularities in the handling of money and valuables. The first media report was registered on June 25, leading to the arrest of the eight aforementioned accused.
The expanded investigation will cover standard operating procedures (SOPs) governing the handling, counting and disbursement of donation funds, people familiar with the matter said. Investigators are seeking to identify the officials who conceptualized, drafted and approved the standard operating procedures. They will assess whether safeguards are adequate and determine how and why they allegedly failed.
The SIT is expected to examine the role of State Bank of India (SBI) officials involved in designing and implementing the cash management system at the temple. Investigators will examine whether bank officials merely failed to enforce established protocols or whether any lapses amounted to criminal negligence or intentional facilitation.
Local SBI branch officials responsible for receiving, processing and supervising the deposit of temple donations are expected to be questioned. Investigators will check whether protocols were followed and whether any warning signs were ignored.
Trust staff responsible for overseeing the donation management system will be under scrutiny. Investigators will examine the level of control, compliance monitoring mechanisms, and whether deficiencies reported internally were addressed or overlooked.
The investigation will focus on the agency charged with deploying manpower for the cash counting operation. SIT will examine how the agency was selected, the terms under which it operated, and the officials who approved its formation. It will investigate whether it has fulfilled its contractual obligations relating to recruitment, background checks, supervision and accountability of its employees.
Investigators will examine the recruitment process for external staff and whether police verification and background checks were conducted properly, the training provided before they were assigned sensitive tasks, and whether the agency maintained effective oversight of its workforce.
The police said the SOPs stipulated strict safeguards, including mandatory inspection of every person entering and exiting counting rooms, deployment of dedicated security personnel, preservation of CCTV footage for 180 days, random searches and a dress code prohibiting clothing pockets to prevent concealment of cash.
Preliminary findings indicate that many safeguards were either ignored, watered down, or inadequately enforced, allowing alleged violations to continue undetected.
