AYODHYA – A comprehensive 74,000-page chargesheet has been submitted in a local court in Ayodhya, naming eight individuals accused in the Ram Temple donation theft case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) presented the extensive document on Wednesday, detailing the alleged embezzlement and theft of cash and valuables donated by devotees.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Ayodhya, Gaurav Grover, confirmed that the court has accepted the chargesheet, and all eight accused are currently in judicial custody. The chargesheet includes various provisions, notably criminal breach of trust and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Investigation Details and Accused
The investigation revealed that CCTV cameras installed within the Ram Temple premises captured 105 instances of theft. Police have recovered approximately Rs 79.8 lakh from seven of the eight arrested men. No cash or valuables were recovered from Subhash Srivastava, one of the accused.
The eight individuals named in the chargesheet are:
- Avinash Shukla
- Lavkush Mishra
- Anukalp Mishra
- Manish Kumar Yadav
- Karunesh Pandey
- Ramashankar Mishra
- Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav
- Subhash Srivastava
Most of the accused were involved in the process of counting cash donations at the temple. Subhash Srivastava was allegedly in charge of the donation-counting process, while Tinnu Yadav reportedly worked as a driver and was a close associate of former Trust general secretary Champat Rai.
Legal Proceedings and Further Inquiries
The First Information Report (FIR) in the case was registered on June 25, following a complaint by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. This occurred two days after the SIT submitted its preliminary findings to the government.
On the day the chargesheet was filed, a large number of lawyers gathered at the Ayodhya court. The Ayodhya Bar Association had previously submitted an application to the police, seeking an inquiry into the alleged roles of Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao, who were then office bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Champat Rai has since resigned from his position as general secretary.
Bail applications for two of the accused, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav, were deferred on Wednesday due to objections raised by the local bar association following the chargesheet filing. Their lawyer stated that the hearing, scheduled before Special Judge Rajat Verma of the Anti-Corruption Court, would be rescheduled for Thursday, as the defense had not yet received a copy of the chargesheet.