Ram Temple embezzlement case: 15-day extension for SIT probe

Police personnel were charged to court in Ayodhya on Friday (June 26, 2026) in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations to the Ram Temple. | Photo credit: PTI

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing allegations that Ram Mandir donations were misappropriated, has been given a 15-day extension to complete its investigation. The extension was granted by the Uttar Pradesh government to enable the SIT to widen the scope of its investigation and conduct a thorough probe into all aspects of the case, a senior state government official told The Hindu.

The investigation will be further expanded to ensure that every angle is carefully explored and that no culprit escapes justice, the official said. The SIT will continue its investigation to take the case to its logical conclusion through a fair and exhaustive investigation, the official added.

The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner (IAS) Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG (Range) Kiran S. and Special Secretary Finance Neel Ratan.

Next hearing on July 13

All the eight accused arrested in connection with the alleged misappropriation of donations to the Ram temple were remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a local court on June 29. The case was posted for further hearing on July 13.

The eight accused — Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava — were earlier remanded in three-day judicial custody till June 29 by a special investigating judge.

The accused were then produced before Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Court, Rajat Verma through video conferencing from the district jail, after three days of remand, said Special Public Prosecutor Umesh Dubey.

Published – 1 Jul 2026 14:37 IST