SIT Gives Clean Chit To Champat Rai (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged donation theft case linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has given a clean chit to former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former Trust member Anil Mishra.
The Uttar Pradesh Home Department has submitted the final SIT report to the temple trust for further action. The three-member SIT, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, was formed on June 13 following a request from the trust after allegations of irregularities emerged.
Champat Rai and Anil Mishra had stepped down from their positions in the Trust after allegations related to donation theft surfaced. After examining the matter, the SIT did not find evidence against the two former officials and cleared their names in the final report.
The investigation panel included Range Inspector General Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar as members.
The SIT was constituted after allegations were raised regarding possible misuse of donations related to the Ram Temple.
The panel submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23, following which a complaint was filed by Trust member Krishnamohan at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station. An FIR was registered on June 25 based on the complaint.
The FIR named eight people, including Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu.
The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigation into the allegations against other accused persons is continuing.
The SIT had made several recommendations in its preliminary report, which became the basis for further police action, including registration of the FIR and arrests in the case.
With Champat Rai and Anil Mishra receiving a clean chit, the focus now shifts to the remaining accused named in the FIR and further legal proceedings.
