The Special Investigation Team probing allegations of embezzlement of donations given to the Ram temple in Ayodhya has arrested eight people and recovered nearly ₹80 lakh in cash along with some foreign currency from six of the accused. According to latest reports, FIR was registered on June 25 following the submission of the SIT report, with all eight accused sent to judicial custody till Monday. The arrests include Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav. Police sources revealed that Tinnu Yadav employed his relative Manish Kumar Yadav at the temple's cash-counting unit, highlighting the internal nature of the alleged fraud.
The Special Investigation Team probing allegations of embezzlement of donations given to the Ram temple in Ayodhya submitted its preliminary inquiry report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday. According to latest reports, the SIT team visited the office of Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and handed over the report directly. The preliminary report was submitted by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad. As reported by PTI, Pant confirmed that the SIT was trying to submit its final report within the next 10 to 15 days, stating "Based on the information that has come to light so far and the facts available with us, we have submitted the first report today. This is only the preliminary report and the final report will be submitted after some time." Officials confirmed that the document is currently a preliminary report and further investigation may be required as the investigation continues.
The SIT investigation has revealed blatant violations of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that were implemented in 2025 after trust officials suspected irregularities in the donation counting process. According to sources, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, the former driver of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, held keys to several 'hundis' (donation boxes). As reported by Business Standard, the SOPs included a dress code requiring donation-counting staff to wear clothes without pockets, deployment of a guard through the Sainik Security Services (SIS) agency, regular frisking of all personnel entering and leaving the donation-counting rooms, and random checks. However, none of these norms were followed, with the SOPs finalised at a meeting of trust officials and State Bank of India representatives. Another major violation was that CCTV footage of the donation counting process was retained for only 45 days instead of the mandated 180 days.
The Uttar Pradesh government had on June 13 constituted the SIT on a request from the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the Ayodhya Ram temple. As reported by Business Standard, the temple trust had approached the government with concerns about potential financial irregularities in the handling of donations. The state government on June 13 had directed the SIT to submit a preliminary report within one week and an interim report within two weeks. The current SIT comprises Vijay Vishwas Pant (Lucknow Divisional Commissioner), Inspector General of Police Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan, as confirmed by officials. The three-member SIT completed its week-long inquiry and submitted the preliminary report on June 23, taking just six days to uncover the shocking details of alleged mismanagement and donation embezzlement.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had on June 7 cited reports claiming that crores of rupees from donations offered at the Ram Temple were missing and urged the courts to take cognisance of the matter. Yadav had demanded daily briefings on the SIT investigation, alleging that public trust in the agency had been eroded due to what he described as "widespread corruption under the BJP government." The controversy erupted after ₹2.5 lakh was recovered from a washroom near the donation counting room just before the SIT was constituted, as reported by Business Standard. The sources described the disclosures as "hugely embarrassing" as "those responsible" for managing the trust remained oblivious to the alleged fraud, with the investigation proving Yadav's earlier allegations correct.
Former litigant for Ram Lalla and the Mahant of Hanumangarhi Temple, Dharmadas Baba, raised strong concerns over the alleged irregularities, stating that "no amount of punishment is sufficient for this reprehensible act, an act condemned across the entire nation." As reported by ANI, Baba condemned the actions as "whether born of negligence or greed, have caused such a negative perception to spread throughout society." However, he expressed full faith in the ongoing investigation and confidence in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, stating that strict action would be taken against those found guilty. Similarly, Mahant Sanjay Das Maharaj urged everyone to have faith in the ongoing investigation and not indulge in "baseless rhetoric," emphasizing that "CM Yogi Adityanath has constituted an SIT... An impartial investigation into the matter is currently underway... Everyone should place their trust in the government and the SIT."
