Preliminary report by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) — constituted to probe the alleged theft in the offering-counting room of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple — has clarified that prima facie incidents of theft and embezzlement occurred during the process of counting the offerings.
According to the report, which was made public, said there were indications of such irregularities even before April 27. However, the actual loss could not be assessed because CCTV footage from that period was unavailable.
The SIT expects to submit its final report by July 22 when the next meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will be held.
According to the SIT, suspicions have been reinforced by the statements of the accused and the discovery of funds exceeding known sources of income in their bank accounts. The available CCTV footage records instances—occurring approximately 70 times—where counting staff were seen concealing bundles of currency notes and loose notes. The report also raises serious questions regarding the Trust, the bank, the surveillance system in the counting room, security management, and administrative accountability. However, the investigating team clarified that this is merely a preliminary report and a detailed investigation is currently underway.
The report indicates that the failure to effectively implement prescribed security measures created scope for irregularities. Protocols such as searches at entry and exit points, mandatory attire, restrictions on personal belongings, counting by donation box (hundi), denomination-wise documentation, and effective surveillance were not fully enforced in practice. The alleged irregularities persisted despite the presence of representatives from both the Trust and the bank.
The SIT noted that an agreement between the Trust and the bank on September 20, 2024, established strict security arrangements for entry into and exit from the counting room. In contrast, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on February 6, 2025, altered the mandatory search protocol to allow for “regular or random” searches, thereby weakening the security framework.
Based on the report, the SIT recommended registering an FIR against eight individuals. Additionally, a recommendation has been made to register an FIR and conduct an investigation against Subhash Srivastava (in-charge of the counting room), other supervisory staff deployed in the counting room, and Ramshankar Yadav (alias Tinnu).
The report states that Dr. Anil Mishra, acting as the Trust’s representative, had issued guidelines in collaboration with the bank. It was his responsibility to ensure the review and monitoring of compliance once the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was implemented. According to the SIT, there was a lack of continuous supervision and monitoring. Meanwhile, Subhash Srivastava, the counting room in-charge, has been held primarily responsible for implementing security arrangements. The report notes that the failure to ensure regular searches led to an inability to prevent the alleged incidents of theft.
According to the report, Ramshankar Yadav (alias Tinnu) held the keys to various donation boxes (hundis) within the temple complex, despite the absence of any formal or written authorization for this. The SIT has deemed this a serious administrative lapse.
The report also mentions that he recommended his relative, Manish Kumar Yadav, for counting duty, thereby providing him with the opportunity for the alleged embezzlement. The SIT further stated that these incidents could have been prevented had there been effective monitoring of CCTV footage during the counting process. Despite an audit report recommendation to preserve CCTV footage for 180 days, only 45 days of backup was being maintained.
According to the SIT, the bank did not provide the prescribed attire to the counting staff. Although bank representatives were present during the counting, their monitoring was ineffective. The protocol for the monthly rotation of officials was also not followed. The report highlights lapses in SOP compliance at the bank level as well.
The SIT has clarified that this is a preliminary investigation report and the probe is ongoing. The final report will present detailed conclusions and recommendations regarding supervisory failures, administrative accountability, institutional shortcomings, and corrective measures.