Ayodhya Ram Temple Embezzlement Case: Eight Arrested, Police Recovery of ₹79.85 Lakhs

In a significant development, eight individuals named in a First Information Report (FIR) concerning the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya have been apprehended. They will remain in judicial custody until June 29.

K.C. Verma, the Prosecution Officer, informed journalists outside the Ayodhya court, stating, “Devotees donated money in the donation boxes at the Ram Temple. Unfortunately, these funds were allegedly embezzled and stolen by trust employees.” He further added, “The eight accused will appear before the Special Court handling corruption matters on Monday. A total of ₹79.85 lakhs has been recovered from them.” Due to the nature of the case, heavy police security was present at the court during the proceedings.

The accused are Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Subhash Chandra Srivastava, and Karunesh Pandey. They face serious charges including theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Reportedly, these individuals were responsible for counting the cash and valuables donated by devotees.

Resignation Speculations Surrounding Trust Officials

Among those arrested are close associates of Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJTK) Trust. There are rumors that Rai may have resigned from his influential position amidst the scandal.

Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have alleged that while the FIR names trust employees, the key figures behind the purported scheme—including Rai, another SRJTK trustee Anil Mishra, and the construction head Gopal Rao—are being shielded by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Tampering with people’s faith cannot be tolerated. As soon as the SIT report was received, action was initiated immediately,” asserted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He voiced his commitment to unraveling the truth: “I assure you, and I had previously stated, that we will separate truth from falsehood. Whoever tampers with the faith of the people will have to face the consequences.”

The FIR was filed on Thursday, June 25, following a preliminary investigation led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Uttar Pradesh government.