UP govt reconstitutes SIT after Supreme Court order (Img: X)
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has reconstituted the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged misappropriation of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya following directions from the Supreme Court.
The fresh SIT will be headed by Inspector General Kiran S. Deputy Inspector General of Ayodhya Somen Verma and Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Gaurav Grover have been appointed as its members.
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The restructuring follows an order passed by the Supreme Court on July 13, directing the state government to constitute a new investigation team under the leadership of a senior IPS officer.
The Uttar Pradesh government has reconstituted a fresh SIT to probe the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, following a Supreme Court directive. The new team, led by senior IPS officers, will submit its status report to the apex court on July 27.… pic.twitter.com/rQLgNFFEQX
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The bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan, raised questions over whether the earlier team could conduct an independent and transparent criminal investigation.
The previous SIT included Lucknow Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Special Secretary for Finance Neel Ratan Kumar and other officials.
The apex court has directed the newly formed SIT to submit a status report on July 27. Sources indicated that the team has already begun examining the case and reviewing evidence gathered during the earlier investigation.
The court had also issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on petitions seeking a comprehensive probe into the allegations.
The case relates to allegations that money and offerings donated at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple were illegally diverted.
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During the initial investigation, officials examined CCTV footage, donation registers, financial documents and procedures followed for counting and depositing offerings. Several temple employees were questioned over alleged irregularities in cash handling.
Investigators had earlier arrested several accused and reportedly recovered cash, vehicles, investment-related documents and other assets suspected to have been purchased using misappropriated funds.
Searches were conducted at multiple locations, while digital records and financial transactions were also scrutinised. The fresh SIT will now continue the investigation and place its findings before the Supreme Court.
