New Delhi: The alleged misappropriation of donations and valuables offered for the construction of the Ayodhya Ram Temple has intensified, with the investigation now extending to senior figures associated with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and Sangh Parivar leaders.
Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati alleged that Trust Treasurer Govind Dev Giri was the principal figure responsible for the alleged scam, but was being protected while attention remained focused on former General Secretary Champat Rai. He also blamed the Prime Minister's Office for constituting the Trust with its own nominees and questioned the effectiveness of the SIT probe.
Police have questioned Champat Rai for more than three hours. Rai, an RSS-VHP leader who was among those who led the movement to demolish the Babri Masjid and build the Ram Temple, denied involvement and attributed the alleged fraud to employees handling devotees' donations. Trust member and RSS leader Anil Mishra is also expected to be questioned.
The investigation reaching RSS leaders has reportedly triggered criticism within sections of the RSS and BJP over Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's decision to order the SIT probe. Yogi had stated that nobody involved in the alleged theft would be spared.
The controversy also escalated politically after Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was allegedly placed under house arrest ahead of a planned Congress visit to the Ram Temple. The Congress said police detained Rai and other leaders, confined them at a hotel in Ayodhya and prevented the delegation from proceeding. Security in Ayodhya was tightened following the protests.
A petition seeking a CBI probe has been filed before the Supreme Court, which has deferred the hearing until after the court vacation. The Vishva Hindu Parishad claimed that the Trust itself initiated an internal inquiry, detected the irregularities and recovered ₹80 lakh. Protests against limiting the case to eight employees forced Champat Rai to resign. The Trust is scheduled to meet on July 6 to decide on further action.
Police have arrested eight employees assigned to count and safeguard donations: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav. All are in judicial custody. Notices have also been issued to Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao.
The SIT is examining the handling of donations collected from around 40 donation boxes, including collection, transportation, sorting, counting, bundling and bank deposits. Investigators are probing allegations that employees handling cash were not required to wear pocketless uniforms and that security was entrusted to a private agency instead of police or other government forces.
Investigators are also examining whether CCTV surveillance at cash-counting centres was effectively monitored and whether the automatic deletion of footage after 45 days affected evidence. The SIT is further probing claims that the State Bank of India flagged suspected irregularities in the note-counting process nearly three months before the case became public.
The Trust received donations worth ₹82.78 crore between April 2025 and February 2026 and managed deposits estimated at around ₹2,100 crore during the period. The alleged scam has raised serious questions over the oversight and accountability of one of the country's richest places of worship.
The Faizabad Bar Association announced that its members would not appear for the arrested accused and warned that lawyers representing them would face a ₹50 lakh penalty. The Association also demanded a CBI investigation and called for Champat Rai and other Trust members to leave Ayodhya.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of turning Sanatan Dharma into a money-making enterprise and alleged that donations had become more important than religion. He described the alleged scandal as a betrayal of devotees' faith.