Uttar Pradesh Govt Reconstitutes SIT for Ram Temple Donation Theft Probe

New SIT and senior leadership

Local media reported the state government’s decision on July 26 and said the Lucknow inspector general will head the fresh probe; published accounts do not yet cite the officer’s name or a formal government order authorizing the reconstitution.

Police spokespeople and other officials described the change as a way to bring senior-level oversight and to consolidate investigative leads that surfaced earlier in July.

Arrests and expanded inquiry

Reporting on July 20 said investigators had arrested at least eight people and widened the inquiry to roughly 30 additional temple employees.

Police sources quoted in national outlets say investigators are pursuing a mix of documentary and testimonial evidence and are reviewing staff duties and custody chains for donated items.

Investigators told one television outlet on July 13 that some of the accused allegedly planned elements of the purported theft by telephone and assigned roles before their shifts — a claim attributed to police sources but not yet supported by publicly filed CDRs, charge sheets or court exhibits in the reporting reviewed here.

Competing claims over missing items and the Trust’s response

Coverage has included sensational and unverified lines — notably a July 4 report that suggested some stolen gold may have been melted and recast into metal "biscuits." That claim appears only in one outlet’s reporting and has not been corroborated by published forensic reports or court filings available to the press so far.

The Ram Mandir Trust told Sindhi donors on July 9 that donation records exist and are "everything documented." In the published accounts reviewed here, that statement addresses record-keeping but does not include production of full inventories, weighment receipts or independent audit copies.

Judicial involvement and warnings against politicisation

The judiciary has taken an active role. On July 20 the Supreme Court warned parties against politicizing the case, according to national reporting, and at least one outlet said the court directed a fresh probe.

Separately, an Allahabad High Court judge on July 22 described the matter in strong terms and urged the harshest possible punishment for those responsible.

Those remarks have increased public scrutiny and led courts to monitor investigative progress; however, published transcripts or written orders from the Supreme Court and the exact text of any new judicial directions were not available in the reporting reviewed here.

What to watch next

Key developments to watch include publication of the formal Uttar Pradesh government order reconstituting the SIT (its text, date and signatory), the public naming of the Lucknow IG who will lead the team, and any filing of FIRs or charge sheets in court.

Forensic laboratory reports, custody logs, CCTV footage and temple donation ledgers — if produced to investigators or filed in court — would be central to resolving competing claims about whether items were removed, altered or documented. Court proceedings that disclose the evidence relied on against the arrested individuals (CDRs, CCTV, witness statements or forensic links) will also be decisive.