The SIT has chargesheeted eight people in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation theft case, while police reportedly say 67 individuals were directly or indirectly involved.
The investigation into the alleged theft of donations from the Ayodhya Ram Mandir has widened after police reportedly said that 67 people were directly or indirectly involved in the suspected removal of cash from the temple’s donation-counting system.
However, the Special Investigation Team’s first chargesheet names only eight people as accused. The remaining individuals referred to in the reported figure of 67 have not been publicly identified, raising questions about their alleged roles and whether further chargesheets could follow.
All allegations remain subject to trial, and none of the accused has been convicted.
SIT Files Chargesheet Against Eight Accused
The Supreme Court-supervised SIT filed its chargesheet before Ayodhya’s special anti-corruption court on September 23, two days before the statutory deadline.
The approximately 74,000-page filing contains CCTV footage, financial records, witness statements, mobile-phone data, forensic-audit findings and other supporting material. The accused face provisions relating to criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and concealment of property, along with charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The eight accused, who are in judicial custody, include six workers allegedly involved in counting donations and two other men accused of facilitating the suspected diversion of money.
What the Investigation Allegedly Found
According to material submitted to the Supreme Court, an examination of CCTV footage identified 105 suspected instances in which currency was removed or concealed inside the counting room.
Investigators say the alleged theft occurred while donations were being counted—not while the money was subsequently transported or deposited in banks.
The case reportedly came to light after ₹2.25 lakh was discovered hidden in a toilet near the vault on June 4. A police source quoted by The Telegraph said the chargesheet refers to 67 people as being directly or indirectly involved, although it does not identify all of them.
Police reportedly examined around 700 bank accounts linked to the accused and their relatives. The SIT recovered approximately ₹79.85 lakh allegedly connected to the suspected embezzlement from seven accused. Investigators also examined properties, vehicles, jewellery and thousands of recovered digital messages while tracing the alleged financial trail.
Former Trust Officials Listed as Witnesses
Former Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Kumar Mishra are among 133 prosecution witnesses listed in the chargesheet. They have not been named as accused.
The SIT separately verified 803 recorded valuable articles stored in an SBI locker and found no discrepancies. Another 86 articles without issued receipts were also physically checked. Allegations concerning donated silver bricks and other prominent valuables were investigated, with the SIT reporting no discrepancy in those specific items.
The Supreme Court continues to monitor the investigation, which may expand as authorities examine the reported involvement of additional individuals.
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