Ram Temple donation irregularities: SIT gets 15-day extension as probe expands

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath approved the extension after the SIT sought more time to complete a comprehensive investigation before submitting its final report. “The government directed the team to submit its report by July 15,” an official said.

Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, inspector general (Lucknow Range) Kiran S, and special secretary (finance) Neel Ratan, the three members of the SIT, are expected to return to Ayodhya to examine how cash offerings moved from donation boxes to bank deposits and fix accountability at every stage.

The SIT has shifted focus to the institutional framework that governed the handling of donations after the arrest of the eight accused. It will examine whether lapses of officials responsible for supervision and manpower deployment created conditions that facilitated the alleged irregularities.