NEW DELHI: The Ram temple donations theft case is now headed to the Supreme Court. On Monday, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, will hear petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged theft of donations at the temple, in addition to a forensic audit of the temple trust’s finances.
Two parallel inquiries are already under way – one by a three-member SIT appointed by the Uttar Pradesh government and another by the UP police.
Now even the counting room is thinning out. Twenty-three employees tasked with counting Ram Mandir donations have reportedly resigned together, saying that after the theft allegations surfaced, devotees have begun offering far more Rs 10 and Rs 20 notes, slowing the counting process sharply.
Earlier, they said, 70-80 bundles of Rs 500 notes could be prepared quickly; now barely 15 such bundles are counted. The shift system has also changed from six-hour shifts to a nine-hour-long 9 am-6 pm stretch, with no commensurate increase in salary. Only 13 counting staff now remain with the bank.
