Around 70 suspicious incidents were captured on CCTV between April 27 and June 5, 2026, during the counting of donations at the Ram Temple, with staff allegedly seen concealing bundles of cash, according to the preliminary report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged donation irregularities.
The report said the footage constituted prima facie evidence of financial misconduct.
The report identified several procedural lapses that may have facilitated the alleged misappropriation, including the absence of frisking at entry and exit points, inadequate checks on employees' personal belongings, and the practice of counting cash from multiple donation boxes together.
It said around Rs 78.94 lakh had been recovered from some employees before the investigation began. An additional Rs 2.25 lakh was allegedly recovered from a bathroom attached to the counting room on June 4, 2026.
The SIT, however, found no prima facie evidence to support claims circulating on social media that silver bricks or other valuable offerings were missing.
At a meeting in Ayodhya on Monday, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, and announced a series of administrative measures. The Trust also decided to remove Gopal Nagarkote from the list of special invitees.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Trust said the trustees reviewed the alleged irregularities, the ongoing investigation, media reports, and interim administrative arrangements. It said that after learning of the alleged irregularities, Trust officials gathered preliminary information and requested the Uttar Pradesh government to order an impartial inquiry, following which a high-level SIT was constituted.
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.
(With inputs from ANI)
