AYODHYA: In a major development in the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case, Champat Rai, Dr. Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao have reportedly been cleared of charges and listed as government witnesses rather than accused, as the Supreme Court-mandated Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a more than 60,000-page chargesheet against eight arrested staff members.
The development comes as the SIT placed before the anti-corruption court in Ayodhya the findings of an extensive investigation into alleged cash pilferage, valuable donations and the financial dealings of the eight accused.
The chargesheet, filed ahead of the September 25 deadline, reportedly identifies 105 instances of alleged unauthorised removal or concealment of cash during the counting process inside the mandir premises.
The investigation, however, found no evidence of pilferage while the counted and segregated cash was being transported to banks for deposit, according to officials familiar with the probe.
Champat Rai not named among accused
A key finding highlighted in the latest development is the reported decision not to name Champat Rai, Dr. Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao as accused. Instead, according to the information available, the three have been listed as government witnesses in the case.
The development comes against the backdrop of an investigation that examined the handling of donations, CCTV footage, banking records, valuable articles and the financial affairs of those arrested.
The reported clean chit separates the senior mandir functionaries from the eight individuals against whom the SIT has filed its chargesheet.
Eight staff members face charges
The eight individuals arrested on June 26 remain named as accused in the case. They are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu.
The SIT’s investigation focused on establishing individual responsibility through CCTV footage, witness statements, electronic records, donation records and financial transactions.
According to officials privy to the investigation, the second SIT identified 105 instances in which cash was allegedly removed or concealed without authorisation during the counting process.
No pilferage found during bank transfer
The investigation was divided into three major tracks. The first examined the handling of cash from donation boxes and counters, from counting and segregation to preparation for bank deposits. This was where investigators identified the 105 alleged instances.
The second examined the movement of counted and segregated cash from the mandir to banks. Banking records, deposit documents and the movement of cash were scrutinised. Investigators reportedly found no evidence of pilferage during this transportation and bank-deposit stage.
The third track examined valuable donations received at the mandir.
Valuable donations verified
The SIT physically verified 803 valuable articles for which receipts had been generated through the mandir trust’s software and reportedly found no discrepancy after reconciling them with the records. Another 86 valuable articles for which receipts were unavailable were separately identified and physically verified.
The investigation also examined donated silver, including silver bricks weighing around 200 kg, another consignment weighing 38.288 kg, a silver necklace, Charan Paduka and a copy of the Ramcharitmanas.
Around 944.411 kg of silver sent for melting to the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL) was also verified during the probe.
Financial records of eight accused examined
The SIT also conducted a detailed examination of the financial affairs of the eight accused. Their bank accounts, deposits, withdrawals, properties, vehicles, jewellery, construction expenditure and other assets were scrutinised. The chargesheet reportedly contains documents relating to their financial transactions and properties.
A separate forensic audit was also incorporated into the investigation to examine the financial trail and whether the assets and expenditure of the accused were consistent with their known sources of income.
173 witnesses examined
The investigation involved 173 witnesses, including mandir trust functionaries, personnel involved in counting donations, bank officials, security personnel, CCTV operators, chartered accountants and vendors.
Investigators examined CCTV footage, digital records, donation and banking documents, recovery material, property records and forensic evidence to reconstruct the alleged transactions.
The 105 alleged instances identified by the second SIT are higher than the 70 instances identified during the initial investigation by the first SIT headed by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant.
Chargesheet filed ahead of Supreme Court deadline
The second SIT was constituted on the directions of the Supreme Court in July. It was headed by Lucknow Range Inspector General of Police Kiran S, with DIG Ayodhya Somen Barma and SSP Ayodhya Gaurav Grover as members. The Supreme Court also directed the inclusion of a forensic auditor.
The chargesheet was filed days before the September 25 deadline, when the 90-day period from the arrest of the first accused was due to expire.
