LUCKNOW: Two days after the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary probe report to the Uttar Pradesh government on the alleged swindling of Ram Temple donation funds and valuables, the Ayodhya police lodged an FIR against eight named persons.
The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint submitted by Krishna Mohan, associated with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station on Thursday evening.
The eight persons named in the FIR are key accused Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Chandra Srivastava and Karunesh Pandey. They have been charged with theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy.
The names of Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, Trust member Dr Anil Mishra and temple construction in-charge Gopal Rao do not figure in the FIR. However, they were also under the scanner and were questioned by the SIT during the preliminary probe.
The FIR was lodged under Sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant), 316 (criminal breach of trust), 317 (cheating) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police sources said.
Officials indicated that further arrests could be made and additional sections invoked if fresh evidence emerges during the investigation.
While Lavkush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra were among those involved in counting the cash and valuables received as donations at the temple, Tinnu Yadav, who served as the driver of Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, had been involved in the temple's management since the consecration ceremony in 2024, an official said.
According to the complaint, the accused allegedly embezzled donations offered by devotees at the Ram Temple and misappropriated trust funds as part of a criminal conspiracy. The case pertains to the alleged diversion of money collected from donation boxes installed on the temple premises.
Notably, the three-member SIT was constituted following a formal request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after allegations of irregularities in the handling of donations surfaced on June 13.
Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant headed the SIT, with Lucknow Range IG Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neelratan Kumar serving as the other members.
Sources said the SIT examined records related to donation collection, counting, cash handling, storage and supervision, besides questioning temple employees and officials associated with the process.
The panel was tasked with identifying lapses in the handling of donations and determining whether a wider conspiracy existed.
The alleged embezzlement came to light earlier this month after claims of financial irregularities were raised in the public domain, prompting the Trust to initiate an internal inquiry before seeking a government-led investigation. While the Trust maintained that routine audits had not detected any discrepancies, it requested an SIT probe to establish the facts and dispel speculation surrounding the matter.
With the FIR now registered, the investigation has entered the criminal prosecution stage. Police are expected to question the named accused, examine financial records and trace the allegedly misappropriated funds.
