LUCKNOW: After Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust accepted the resignation of both former general secretary Champat Rai and senior trustee Anil Mishra in connection with the alleged embezzlement of temple donation funds at its meeting in Ayodhya on Monday, the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged donation irregularities, held Anil Mishra majorly responsible for the serious administrative and supervisory lapses.
In its report, the SIT has reportedly raised serious questions over the role of Mishra, holding that he failed to ensure effective implementation of security safeguards designed to protect the temple's donation counting process.
The report, which was placed in the trust meeting on Monday, said that Mishra failed to act despite the repeated warning signs.
It found prima facie evidence of nearly 70 instances of theft involving six accused over a span of 40 days, flagging the laxity in supervision by Trust member Anil Mishra and others, and questioned failures in the enforcement of security protocols.
According to the nine-page preliminary report submitted by the SIT to UP government on June 23, 2026, Mishra had been overseeing the financial matters and cash management, including coordination with the bank on the standard operating procedure (SOP) governing the counting and handling of temple donations.
The probe panel claimed that he played a key role in framing the SOP and was directly responsible for coordinating cash counting, storage and security arrangements. The report claimed that Mishra failed to issue effective written directives to spruce up the frisking of staff, deployment of adequate security personnel, enforce designated uniforms, prohibit employees from carrying personal belongings into sensitive areas, conduct surprise inspections or introduce a system of daily reporting.
The probe panel said that such lapses contributed to the theft of temple donation money. It added that even after getting the whiff of irregularities, Mishra did not ensure corrective action.
At the same time, the SIT ruled out allegations that silver bullions and other high-value offerings donated to the temple had gone missing, saying records and physical verification showed the items were accounted for.
The SIT, in its report, said CCTV footage recorded between April 27 and June 5, 2026, showed repeated instances of cash pilferage by the counting staff from donation collections.
The report concluded that there was prima facie evidence of theft, criminal misappropriation and criminal breach of trust.
The SIT raised questions over the role of senior Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust functionary Anil Mishra, who represented the Trust in framing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with the State Bank o-f India for handling, counting and securing devotees' offerings.
According to the report, once the SOPs were put in place, Mishra was expected to periodically review their implementation and ensure compliance with security protocols.
The SIT observed that the Trust failed to maintain continuous monitoring of SOP compliance under procedures jointly issued by the Trust and SBI in September, 2024 and February, 2025.
The report also identified serious lapses by Subhash Srivastava, the Trust-appointed in-charge of the counting room. Since all alleged thefts took place inside the counting room, investigators said the failure to conduct regular frisking was one of the principal reasons the alleged pilferage continued undetected.
Srivastava was held primarily responsible for not enforcing mandatory security checks and maintaining adequate oversight.
Another significant finding relates to Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, who allegedly retained custody of hundi keys without any written authorisation. The SIT termed the arrangement irregular and lacking accountability. It further alleged that Tinnu Yadav facilitated the deployment of his relative, Manish Kumar Yadav, in the counting team, giving him access to the donation-counting process.
The SIT also questioned the effectiveness of surveillance arrangements. While CCTV cameras had been installed inside the counting room, investigators said active monitoring of live feeds could have helped detect and prevent many of the alleged thefts. The report further criticised the decision to retain CCTV footage for only 45 days, despite audit recommendations calling for preservation of recordings for 180 days.
According to investigators, the footage examined during the probe showed counting personnel allegedly concealing currency bundles and loose notes on multiple occasions.
Recovery of cash, valuables and bank deposits allegedly disproportionate to the known income of some accused further strengthened suspicions of systematic theft. The SIT said financial analysis and statements recorded during the probe suggested that similar activities may have been taking place even before April 27.
However, because older footage had been overwritten, investigators were unable to determine the full extent of the alleged losses. The probe also pointed to shortcomings on the part of bank officials associated with the counting process.
The report noted that prescribed dress codes for counting personnel were not enforced and mandatory monthly rotation of responsible officials was not carried out. Although bank representatives were present during counting operations, they allegedly failed to ensure adherence to agreed safeguards.
The SIT has prima facie named Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ram Shankar Mishra in connection with offences including theft, criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation and possession of stolen property.
It has also recommended registration of FIRs against Srivastava, supervisory personnel present in the counting room and Tinnu Yadav for alleged criminal conspiracy, abetment, common intention and dereliction of duty that may have facilitated the offences.
The report, however, emphasised that those were preliminary findings and that investigations into institutional accountability, administrative lapses and systemic reforms were still underway.
Separately, the SIT found no evidence to support allegations that major silver donations made to the temple had gone missing. Investigators verified that around 38 kg of silver donated by members of the Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association, 22.576 kg of silver donated by the Sarrafa Association, and 200 kg of silver bricks donated by the Vishva Sindhi Seva Samaj were all properly recorded and subsequently processed through authorised procedures.
The SIT also rejected allegations regarding a silver necklace and silver padukas donated by Mumbai businessman Anil Vishwakarma, confirming that both items remain in the Trust's custody. The report concluded that allegations relating to missing bullion and several other high-value offerings could not be substantiated on the basis of records, inventories and physical verification carried out during the investigation.
It may be recalled that 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. The SIT submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government on June 23.