LUCKNOW The Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted under the Supreme Court’s direction to conduct an investigation into the alleged theft and misappropriation of offerings at the Ram temple, visited Ayodhya on Tuesday and scrutinised bank records as part of its probe into the financial affairs of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said officials.
The team, including a forensic auditor, has been examining records at a State Bank of India branch in Ayodhya for the past two days. Bank officials made relevant documents and transaction records available to the investigators, sources said.
The scrutiny focuses particularly on the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22, covering the period immediately after the formation of the Trust in 2020. Investigators are examining the Trust’s income, expenditure, deposits, withdrawals and other banking transactions to establish the flow and utilisation of funds.
Senior Trust functionaries, including interim general secretary Krishna Mohan, were present during the examination of the records along with other officials and the Trust’s chartered accountant, sources added.
The exercise assumes significance as investigators seek to establish a comprehensive financial trail in the larger case involving alleged irregularities in handling offerings and donations associated with the Ram temple. The SIT intends to compare bank transactions with the Trust’s books of accounts, donation records and other supporting documents.
Investigators are also examining transactions linked to the Ram temple construction fund collection campaign, which began on January 15, 2020, on Makar Sankranti and continued until February 27, 2020. The nationwide campaign, conducted soon after the Trust was formed, aimed at mobilising donations for the construction of the temple.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators are also examining transactions linked to the Ram temple construction fund collection campaign, which began on January 15, 2020, on Makar Sankranti and continued until February 27, 2020. The nationwide campaign, conducted soon after the Trust was formed, aimed at mobilising donations for the construction of the temple.
{{/usCountry}}Officials are examining corresponding bank records to determine how the collections were deposited and accounted for, and whether the entries in the Trust’s records match those reflected in its bank accounts.
The latest scrutiny follows an earlier SIT inquiry into the alleged theft of cash offerings from the temple’s counting room. The team examined CCTV footage covering April 27 to June 5, 2026, and its preliminary findings pointed to several instances of alleged cash theft during the counting process. Following the preliminary findings, an FIR was registered on June 25, after which the state government extended the SIT’s mandate to enable further investigation.
Officials said the ongoing forensic audit is not confined to any single transaction. Investigators are examining the broader financial records to determine whether any discrepancies were limited to handling cash offerings or indicate irregularities in the Trust’s financial operations during its initial years.