LUCKNOW, July 10 -- The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to determine in its final report whether State Bank of India (SBI) officials should face departmental or criminal action for alleged supervisory failures that may have enabled the embezzlement of temple donations, according to highly-placed sources. A preliminary report dated June 23 indicates that the probe has moved beyond the six arrested contractual cash-counting employees to examine whether bank officials responsible for enforcing the security architecture of the cash-counting process failed to discharge duties assigned to them under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). While the preliminary report does not fix criminal liability on any SBI official, it concludes that the alleged thefts were facilitated by persistent violations of safeguards jointly framed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and the bank. The SIT's final report, expected by July 15, is likely to determine whether those lapses amounted to administrative negligence or crossed the threshold into criminal culpability, the sources added. Under the MoU, SBI's role extended beyond depositing donations. The bank was entrusted with deploying and supervising cash-counting personnel, providing counting machines and ensuring strict adherence to security protocols inside the counting hall. Investigators found, however, that several mandatory safeguards were repeatedly ignored. According to the preliminary report, mandatory frisking of personnel was not enforced, pocketless uniforms designed to prevent concealment of cash were never effectively implemented, biometric attendance remained ineffective, personal belongings were allowed inside the counting hall and donations from different hundis (donation boxes) were mixed before counting despite explicit prohibitions. A key focus of the investigation is the February 6, 2025 revision of the SOP, under which compulsory frisking of every person entering and leaving the counting hall was diluted to "regular/random" checks. The SIT has termed the circumstances surrounding this change a matter requiring deeper investigation, while noting that even the diluted frisking protocol was allegedly not followed. The preliminary report also raises questions about the effectiveness of bank supervision. Although SBI representatives were present during the counting process, investigators found that prescribed supervisory checks and the rotation of officials failed to detect or prevent repeated violations of the established procedures. After analysing CCTV footage recorded between April 27 and June 5, the SIT documented around 70 instances in which contractual cash-counting personnel were allegedly seen concealing currency notes inside their clothes, pockets and shoes. The report notes that these incidents continued despite the presence of bank representatives and surveillance cameras inside the counting hall. The investigation further states that earlier internal audit reports had flagged significant weaknesses in the donation management system, including inadequate CCTV retention, poor documentation and weak control over the movement of donation boxes. Recommendations such as preserving CCTV footage for 180 days were allegedly never implemented, depriving investigators of evidence that could have helped establish the full extent of the suspected embezzlement. While the preliminary report identifies six contractual cash-counting employees-Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ramashankar Mishra-as prima facie involved in the alleged theft based on CCTV footage, recoveries and financial evidence, it makes clear that the investigation into the role of supervisory officials from both the Trust and SBI remains open....