The investigation into the alleged theft and misappropriation of donation money linked to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has reached a high level after the police filed a huge chargesheet with nearly 70,000 pages. The report names eight arrested persons as accused, but the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and its key office-bearers have not been named as accused in the case.
According to the chargesheet, police have failed to provide sufficient evidence to the temple trust and bank connected to the donation. Instead, prominent trust office-bearers Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao have been included as prosecution witnesses. Their inclusion as witnesses means the investigators have relied on their statements and information as part of the prosecution's case rather than treating them as accused.
The chargesheet was submitted before the 90-day statutory period. It comes after an investigation into allegations of handling, counting and alleged diversion of donation money. The police report details the roles played by the eight accused and several cash recoveries made during the investigation.
Eight People Named As Accused
The chargesheet identifies Anukalp Mishra as an alleged key figure in the case. Police have described him as the alleged mastermind and claimed ₹16.82 lakh was recovered from his residence. Investigators linked the recovered money to their larger investigation into the alleged handling of donation funds.
Ramshankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu, is accused of holding the keys to donation boxes without permission. He is also alleged to be making money from devotees and even helping some people to get darshan passes. The police's version of donations collection (as it is now being looked at) is not new.
Lavkush Mishra is another accused named in the chargesheet. Police have alleged that he siphoned off funds. During the investigation, police recovered about ₹14.25 lakh from his residence.
Ramashankar Mishra is also being accused of having stolen the donation money. According to the police report, investigators recovered ₹7.32 lakh in cash, a donation box and two silver coins from him.
Manish Yadav is said to have manipulated or interfered with the cash-counting process. The money was allegedly gathered and accounted for by police, and the investigation has focused so much on the counting of donations.
Avinash Gupta, too, has been named as an accused. Police have also recovered ₹20.39 lakh and 1,121 US dollars from his residence as part of the evidence collected during the investigation.
Krishnesh Pandey and Subhash Srivastava are two others named in the chargesheet. They are alleged to have been involved in the misappropriation and concealment of donation money during the counting process.
Alleged Conspiracy And Bank Accounts Examined
The investigation also involved more than five bank accounts. Police have also referred to approximately 3,300 text messages that investigators believe could provide information about the alleged planning and execution of the suspected theft.
The chargesheet cites provisions regarding criminal breach of trust, theft, possession of stolen property, criminal conspiracy and joint liability. These sections are 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), among others.
The large size of the chargesheet reflects the volume of material gathered during the investigation. In addition to statements and financial records, the police report reportedly includes details of recoveries, banking transactions and electronic communications examined as part of the probe.
Trust Gets Relief From Accusations
One of the biggest recent developments is that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust itself is not named as an accused. Also, the chargesheet doesn't name the trust's key office-bearers as accused. Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao have been made prosecution witnesses.
The police decision indicates investigators did not find sufficient evidence, according to the chargesheet, to prosecute the trust or the concerned office-bearers in connection with the alleged theft. The bank that handled the donations has also been given a clean chit in the investigation, according to the report.
Now that the chargesheet has been presented, the case will proceed to the next stage of the legal process. The eight accused will be subjected to the allegations outlined in the police report and the prosecution will need to prove its case through evidence before the court.
The allegations contained in a chargesheet are not findings of guilt. The accused are entitled to due process, and the charges will need to be reviewed by the court before any final determination is made.
