Lucknow: Eight people accused in the alleged embezzlement of donations from the Ayodhya Ram Temple were produced before a court in Ayodhya on Friday and remanded to judicial custody until Monday.
The accused—Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava—are scheduled to appear before the court again on Monday.
Police recovered ₹79.85 lakh in cash, allegedly linked to the stolen donation funds, from all the accused except Subhash Srivastava, from whom no cash was recovered. The FIR also includes “others” among the accused, suggesting that additional arrests may follow as the investigation progresses.
The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and dishonestly receiving stolen property.
Probe May Expand
Although none of those arrested are government employees, investigators have also invoked Section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which deals with criminal misconduct by public servants. The inclusion of this section indicates that the investigation could widen to examine possible involvement of public officials.
Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounded reports that Champat Rai had resigned as general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Trust member Anil Mishra was also reported to have resigned, though neither the Trust nor the Vishwa Hindu Parishad confirmed the reports.
Donation Counting Unit Under Scrutiny
Ayodhya prosecution officer K.C. Verma said the accused had allegedly misappropriated donations offered by devotees, adding that trust employees were involved in the theft.
According to the preliminary investigation, six of the eight accused—excluding Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu—were associated with the bank’s outsourced cash management agency responsible for counting temple donations. Investigators believe these individuals were directly involved in handling and counting cash when the alleged embezzlement occurred.
Tinnu Yadav is reportedly a long-time associate of Trust general secretary Champat Rai, while Subhash Srivastava supervised the temple’s cash-counting operations.
Tight Security at Court
Authorities deployed Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel and strengthened security around the Ayodhya court complex during the accused’s appearance. Circle Officer (City) Shreyash Tripathi reviewed the security arrangements on site.
SIT Investigation
The case was registered on Thursday after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Krishna Mohan filed an FIR at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station based on the preliminary findings of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The FIR alleges that the accused conspired to siphon off donations made by devotees and misused trust funds. They were detained on Thursday night and formally arrested on Friday morning.
The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on June 13 following the Trust’s request after allegations of donation theft surfaced. The panel was headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, with Lucknow Range Inspector General Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neelratan Kumar serving as members.
The SIT examined records related to donation collection, cash counting, storage, handling procedures, and supervisory mechanisms. It also questioned temple employees and officials involved in the donation management process to identify procedural lapses and determine whether a broader conspiracy existed.
CCTV Footage
The alleged embezzlement came to light earlier this month after claims of financial irregularities emerged publicly. Although the Trust stated that routine audits had not detected discrepancies, it requested an SIT probe to establish the facts and address public concerns.
According to sources, CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation allegedly captured accused Manish Yadav stealing cash on multiple occasions. Despite the alleged incidents, no action was reportedly taken at the time because Manish is said to be related to co-accused Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, who allegedly helped secure his appointment to the temple’s cash-counting unit.
