A 74,000-page chargesheet has been filed in the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case against eight arrested accused, following an investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
According to Ayodhya police, the chargesheet has been accepted by the local court and the eight accused remain in judicial custody. The case involves allegations of theft and embezzlement of cash and valuables offered by devotees at the temple.
Investigators have cited CCTV footage from the temple premises, which reportedly recorded 105 instances of theft. The SIT has also detailed evidence gathered during the investigation and the arrests made in connection with the case.
The accused have been identified as Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava.
Police reportedly recovered around ₹79.8 lakh from seven of the accused. No cash or valuables were recovered from Srivastava, who was allegedly involved in the donation-counting process.
The chargesheet includes provisions relating to criminal breach of trust and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The matter is also being monitored through a status report submitted by the SIT before the Supreme Court.
Bail proceedings for two accused were deferred after objections were raised following the filing of the chargesheet.
