Eight Arrested Over Donation Embezzlement Scandal at India’s Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Eight people have been arrested in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme involving donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, India’s most prominent new religious site, after a formal complaint was filed at Kotwali Ramjanmabhoomi police station. The arrests follow a widening scandal over the alleged theft of cash, jewellery, gold, and silver worth tens of millions of rupees offered by devotees at the temple, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024.

The Temple and Its Scale

The Ram temple is a three-storey structure spread over 2.7 acres, with a complex that also includes six smaller temples. It draws an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 devotees daily, with crowds tripling on weekends and festivals, amounting to roughly 50 million visitors a year. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the site, recorded annual income of 3.27 billion rupees, equivalent to about $35 million, in financial year 2024-25, making it one of India’s largest temples by earnings. Around 35 donation boxes are placed across the temple site.

The temple was built on land at the centre of one of India’s most bitterly contested disputes. It replaced a 16th-century mosque demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992, sparking riots in which nearly 2,000 people died. The Supreme Court awarded the disputed land for temple construction in 2019 and ordered that alternative land be provided for a mosque.

The Allegations and Arrests

The FIR was lodged on a complaint by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Investigators allege that counting staff slipped extra notes into currency bundles of 100 each, which were then shared among themselves. A former city legislator has alleged that more than 70 million rupees, roughly $739,550, have gone missing.

Police named eight individuals: Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, and Subhash Srivastav. Most were involved in donation counting work. Subhash Srivastav is a retired bank employee who supervised donation counting shifts at the Pilgrim Facility Centre. Ram Shankar Yadav was the former driver of Trust general secretary Champat Rai and was also involved in overseeing temple operations. All eight have been arrested.

The FIR invoked multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, covering theft in a protected place of worship, theft by an employee, criminal breach of trust, habitual dealing in stolen property, and criminal conspiracy, as well as a provision of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case was first brought to light by Mahipal Singh, a former supervisor of the trust’s accounts team. According to BBC World, Singh raised concerns internally about the handling of cash offerings and precious metals and says he was replaced afterward. He told BBC World, “I have received death threats. I am under immense pressure and stress.”

Investigation and Political Fallout

The Uttar Pradesh state government established a three-member Special Investigation Team to probe the allegations. The SIT submitted its preliminary findings to the state government two days before the FIR was lodged. Its final report is expected to be submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath within 15 days. Petitions have also been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored investigation by federal police.

The controversy drew broad political attention after Samajwadi Party chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav publicly raised questions about the alleged siphoning of donations on June 7 and called for a formal investigation. Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad echoed calls for a court-monitored probe and demanded the suspension of trust members during any inquiry. Even local BJP leader Rajneesh Singh sought an investigation into donation-related issues.

With Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due early next year, the dispute has sharpened political lines. Yadav promised to develop Ayodhya into a religious city called “Siyaram-Dham” if his party wins. Adityanath, speaking at a public gathering in Deoria, warned opposition parties not to “test the patience of Ram bhakts” by raising questions about the alleged embezzlement, adding, “Those who are trying to make allegations today do not have good intentions.”

The Trust has denied any wrongdoing. Champat Rai, the Trust’s general secretary, said its donation counting processes are routinely audited by trustees, workers, and State Bank of India employees, stating, “No-one has noticed any discrepancy yet.”