Ram Temple donation row: Big relief for Champat Rai as SIT report clears him

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple has not named former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai or former trust member Anil Mishra in its final report, effectively giving both a clean chit in the first probe.

The report has been examined by the Uttar Pradesh Home department and handed over to the temple trust for further action, people familiar with the developments said, reported Hindustan Times.

Rai, Mishra resigned amid probe

Rai and Mishra resigned from their positions in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on June 27, while the investigation into alleged irregularities in the handling of temple donations was underway.

The first SIT was formed on June 13 on the directions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, following a request from the temple trust. Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant headed the panel, with Lucknow range inspector general Kiran S and special secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan Kumar as members.

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The panel submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23. An FIR was subsequently registered at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya on June 25 following a complaint by trust member Krishna Mohan.

Eight people named as accused in the FIR — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu — have been arrested and are currently in jail.

Probe flagged repeated cash thefts

The preliminary SIT inquiry had detected cash thefts on around 70 occasions in the temple's counting room between April 27 and June 5, 2026. CCTV footage allegedly showed employees concealing and taking away cash.

Investigators also found lapses in the standard operating procedure followed jointly by the trust and the State Bank of India. These included inadequate frisking at entry and exit points.

A second SIT, headed by Kiran S, is continuing the investigation into the FIR registered in Ayodhya following the Supreme Court's directions.

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The controversy began on June 7 when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged that Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore in temple offerings had been siphoned off.

The trust received Rs 82.78 crore in donations between April 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, according to details presented before its executive committee during a meeting in Ayodhya on March 21.