Amid the ongoing probe into the Ram Mandir donation theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found strong evidence against eight accused persons in connection with the alleged irregularities in the counting process.
The SIT has filed a 7,000-page chargesheet in the case, naming all eight accused who were arrested. According to sources, the SIT did not mention Anil Mishra or Champat Rai, who were earlier associated with the Ram Mandir Trust, in the chargesheet.
Champat Rai is the former general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, while Mishra is the former trustee.
SIT Examined 173 Witnesses
The probe team is learnt to have examined 173 witnesses as part of its investigation. It also reviewed CCTV footage from the counting room and identified 105 instances of alleged unauthorised removal or concealment of currency. These instances have been included as evidence in the chargesheet.
Sources told CNN-News18 that CCTV footage, forensic audits, financial records, recoveries and asset-tracking findings were among the key pieces of evidence used by the SIT to build its case. Based on these findings, the 7,000-page chargesheet has now been submitted.
The three-member SIT, led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, was set up by the state government on June 13 following a request from the Trust, before the Supreme Court stepped in to hear the matter.
The panel submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23, along with several stringent recommendations.
The FIR lists eight accused, including Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, along with other unidentified persons. All eight have been arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
