Ayodhya Temple Donation Theft Probe Finds Administrative Lapses, Advocates Reforms
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate allegations of donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has submitted its final report, pointing to clear evidence of administrative and supervisory lapses. According to sources, the siphoning off of money was restricted to lower-level staff, and the scale of the theft was limited to this group.
The report notes that standard operating procedures for the counting room were not followed, and unqualified personnel were hired for operations. Supervisory lapses enabled the embezzlement to occur over a period of time. The SIT has suggested several reforms, including strengthening CCTV surveillance of donation handling areas, increasing hard-disk storage capacity for high-resolution cameras, introducing frisking during entry and exit, and mandating specified overalls for designated personnel.
Other recommendations include barring random outsourced personnel from handling donations and hiring only professional staff without any connections to the temple management. The panel also emphasized the need for specific accountability of those responsible for oversight.
The SIT, comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police (Lucknow range) Kiran S, and UP Government’s Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan, was constituted on June 13 to probe the alleged theft. It submitted a preliminary report on June 23, leading to FIRs against eight accused, all of whom were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Sources said that while the thefts were confined to lower-level staff, questions remain about why such individuals were hired and placed in crucial roles. The management must take blame for inadequate supervision and hiring practices. The SIT's widened remit also identified systemic shortcomings in the temple's donation management system.
“Institutional deficiencies enabled these operations to go on undetected over a period of time. But it needs to be kept in mind that this (Ayodhya temple) is just a two-year-old establishment, as compared to the administrators of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, who have decades of experience,” a source said.
The Supreme Court is expected to be updated on the final report on July 20.
