The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has introduced a new cash-counting system for donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The process is now being carried out under the supervision of the State Bank of India (SBI). This change comes while an investigation into the alleged theft of temple donations is still underway.
SBI Takes Charge of Cash Counting
The responsibility for counting the cash collected from donation boxes inside the Ram Temple has been given to SBI. After completing a week-long trial, the new system officially started on Sunday, with the trust handing over the cash-counting process to the bank.
Two-Shift System Introduced
To make the process more efficient, the trust has introduced a two-shift system. Around 10 to 12 staff members have been assigned to each shift. The first shift works from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, while the second shift operates from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
New In-Charge and Supervisors Appointed
The trust has appointed Shobhnath Mishra as the new in-charge of cash counting after former in-charge Subhash Shrivastava was arrested in the alleged donation theft case. To improve monitoring, four supervisors, including a former Army serviceman, have also been appointed.
Captain KK Tiwari, a former Army officer and the trust’s security in-charge, has been made the senior officer responsible for the cash-counting process. He will submit daily reports to the trust. Former defence personnel SP Dubey and Sheshmani Tiwari have also been appointed as trust representatives to supervise the work.
Donation Theft Investigation Continues
The alleged misuse of Ram Temple donations came to light in the first week of June. Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to investigate the matter.
After reviewing the SIT’s preliminary report, an FIR was registered on June 25. Police arrested eight people in connection with the case, including former cash-counting in-charge Subhash Shrivastava.
Cash and Valuables Recovered
During the investigation, police recovered large amounts of cash from the accused. The highest recovery was Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla. Authorities also seized gold, silver, foreign currency, and a donation box labelled “Ramrajya Kosh” as part of the investigation.
