- By Manoj Kumar Tripathi
- Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- SIT recommends FIR, trust restructuring, and CEO for temple.
- Champat Rai, 13 others named accused in donation theft.
- Report flags missing jewellery, staff issues, suggests 5-year audit.
State Bureau, Lucknow | The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the multi-crore donation theft case at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, submitted its preliminary report to the government on Tuesday. In the 20-page investigation report, submitted to Home Department Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Prasad, the SIT recommended filing an FIR, restructuring the trust, and appointing a senior officer as the temple's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The report named Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, among the accused in the case.
SIT Questions Missing Some Jewellery, Recruitment Process Of Staff
According to sources, in its investigation so far, the SIT included the disappearance of some jewellery donated by devotees in addition to the cash theft at the temple. The report also raised questions about the recruitment of employees involved in counting donations, flaws in the monitoring system, and the role of some trust officials, bank employees, and officials.
After the theft of offerings at the temple came to light on June 7, the government formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Dr Vijay Vishwas Pant on June 13 at the request of the Trust. The SIT began investigating the case on June 15. The government directed the SIT to submit its preliminary investigation report within seven days.
SIT Questioned 150 People
The SIT provided information on questioning 150 people, including Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Yadav, Rajesh Pathak, Ramashankar, Avinash Shukla, Krishnadev Tiwari, Subhash Srivastava, and other accused associated with the trust and the bank.
Key Trust Members Under Scanner
Sources said the SIT has named a total of 14 people as accused, including Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, member Dr. Anil Mishra, administrator Gopal Rao, and management manager Ramshankar Yadav Tinnu. Several statements recorded during the investigation do not match the available records of the Trust.
According to sources, Rai, Anil Mishra, and a construction assistant, Gopal Rao, have also been questioned. Meanwhile, 25 to 30 individuals are being directly implicated in the donation theft. The movement of temple staff without proper search has also been questioned.
SIT Recommends Audit Of Donations Of The Last Five Years
The SIT sought expansion of the scope of the investigation. According to sources, the SIT also suggested an audit of donations from the past five years. The state government will soon submit this report to the Union Home Ministry. The Centre will then decide which members of the trust should be removed.
Rs 2 Crore Recovered So Far
Two crore rupees have been recovered on the information from five accused: Lavkush, Avnish, Anukalp, Karune, and Ramshankar alias Tinnu in the Ram Temple donation theft case. A week-long investigation revealed numerous discrepancies, and the keys to the donation boxes were found with Ramshankar Yadav, Tinnu.
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It has also been found that the servants were already aware of the embezzlement. According to sources, the SIT has recommended adopting a professional approach to temple management, conducting weekly audits of donation calculations, ensuring daily donations are recorded, increasing the data storage period for CCTV cameras from 45 days to 180 days, and ensuring that the accused do not leave Ayodhya until the investigation is complete.
The investigation report has gathered evidence ranging from offering theft to commission-taking. Furthermore, suspicions of manipulation in the temple's staff appointments and counting process have been raised.
(With Jagdran.com Inputs)