T
he Ram Mandir in Ayodhya came up only after five centuries of disputes and decades of legal fights. The construction of the temple was expected to mark the return of faith. But barely two years since its grand opening ceremony, the temple, which had been inaugurated by the prime minister Narendra Modi before the nation, has now become the epicenter of a financial scam—a scam that involves embezzled funds, a flawed process, and the resignation of two of the trust’s most influential people.
Here's the whole story about it.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was founded by the Government of India in the month of February 2020, following the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India in 2019, where the land of Ayodhya was transferred into the hands of the Hindus for the construction of the temple. The trust has 15 people, who have the full authority to construct and manage the temple.
Since the opening ceremony of the temple took place on January 22, 2024, millions of followers have come to Ayodhya and have made generous contributions. During just the financial year 2024–25, the trust has received ₹327 crores in cash contributions, apart from significant amounts of gold, silver, and diamond donations made at the time of worship.
Such a massive inflow of money on a daily basis necessitated efficient mechanisms to count and deposit the donations. It appears that the mechanisms either were faulty or were willfully neglected.
The plan was easy but very daring. As per the investigation done by Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the government of Uttar Pradesh, the money was reportedly pilfered straight away from the tables where the donations were counted within the premises of the temple.
As per the modus operandi, one member of the staff stood in front of the CCTV camera while another would snatch the notes from the table without being noticed. The stolen money was allegedly hidden in the lavatories of the temple and then smuggled out.
There were around 70 cases of theft that took place between April 27 and June 5, 2026. The SIT believes that the racket had been operating since the day the temple had opened in 2024.
It came to light when the members of the temple trust found a discrepancy when the money was deposited in the banks. It was in the form of ₹500 notes collected from donation boxes containing ₹6-7 lakh.
The first whistleblower in the case of fraud was Mahipal Singh, a previous supervisor of the accounts department of the trust. This individual had reported some internal issues related to the cash donations and precious metals. Soon after his reports, this individual was demoted from his position.
When reporters came to speak to this individual about his reports, he did not give any comments on the matter. This is because he claimed that he was threatened to death and faced extreme pressures. The demotion of this individual was among the most distressing aspects of this story.
The Key Accused: Who Are They?
A total of eight people were taken into custody on 26th June 2026 due to the filing of the FIR against them under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
- Ramashankar Yadav, alias Tinnu Yadav—ex-driver of Trust General Secretary Champat Rai. It is alleged that he possessed keys to several donation boxes (known as Hundi), which goes against the rules.
- Subhash Srivastava, a retired banker appointed for counting in charge, was recommended by a senior trust official.
- Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, and Ramashankar Mishra are associated with the donation-collecting process.
₹79.85 lakh in cash was seized from six out of eight arrested persons. Foreign money was also discovered.
The Broken Rules: What the SIT Found
Actually, the trust had developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) way back in 2025, when officials raised an issue regarding any discrepancies in the counting process. These standard operating procedures included the following:
- Counting personnel would have to wear clothes without pockets.
- There will be frisking of all personnel entering and leaving the counting chambers.
- A security agency will conduct monitoring.
- There will be random checking anytime.
- CCTV videos should be saved for 180 days.
No standard operating procedure was adhered to in reality. The special investigation team found out that the CCTV videos were kept for 45 days only and not for 180 days as prescribed. The frisking standard operating procedure was not followed. Tinnu Yadav, who was a driver, was holding the keys to the donation boxes. No single person was supposed to keep these.
These SOPs had been signed by Anil Mishra and a representative from the State Bank of India named Govind Mishra, who were members of the trust.
As preliminary findings of the SIT started coming out, the trust witnessed two important resignations.
One of them was Champat Rai, who is General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and an important personality of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). He quit from his position on June 26, 2026, for what he termed 'moral responsibility.' Previously, he had rejected all claims against him and said, "Nothing significant has been found during the internal audit."
Anil Mishra, who is a member of the trust and the person responsible for approving SOPs that were never implemented, also resigned from his post on the very same day.
The treasurer of the trust, Govind Dev Giri, confirmed the resignation and said the trust will decide about this at their next meeting, which will be held on July 11. In their statement, the trust said that it is 'shocked, hurt and deeply saddened by the recent developments.'
This issue has become very politically charged and has received varied reactions from all sections of people.
Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party's president, who has been raising alarms since June 7, questioned the objectivity of SIT and said that this probe is nothing but an attempt to save the influential people. “There is an impression among people that the FIR is lodged only after all the evidence has been wiped out,” said Akhilesh Yadav via his tweet.
Congress has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the trust's finances and complete dissolution of the trust. Congress leader K.C. Venugopal alleged that the BJP and RSS have been exploiting Ayodhya for political gains, whereas the money donated by the devotees is being plundered.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also reacted to the controversy and said that the trust betrayed the common devotees.
The Supreme Court, however, refused to hold an urgent hearing in connection with a PIL demanding a court-monitored probe and forensic audit on June 25.
This is not the first time such an allegation has been made against the trust.
As early as June 2021—even prior to the construction of the temple—the political leaders from the AAP and Samajwadi Party had accused the trust of purchasing a piece of land measuring 1.2 hectares for ₹18.5 crores that had been purchased moments earlier by two persons for ₹2 crores. They had demanded investigation by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate for money laundering, and Champat Rai had refuted these allegations then.
Furthermore, just before the inauguration ceremony in January 2024, a case of cyber fraud came to light whereby people were cheated on a fake website that purportedly belonged to the trust by charging delivery charges for prasad. This cheated the devotees of around six lakhs from all across India and abroad, amounting to ₹3.85 crore.
The final report of the SIT is likely to be submitted in two weeks. Eight accused persons are in judicial custody at present. The next board meeting of the trust is planned for July 11, when the resignations of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra would be examined.
A number of cases are pending in the Supreme Court, with political and civil society organizations demanding either CBI or ED investigation or the supervision of the Supreme Court directly.
