The three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is set to expand its probe into allegations of irregularities in donation collections at the Ram Temple and take a look at the entire financial ecosystem of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust since its formation on February 5, 2020, two state government officials said on Friday.
Senior state government officials told HT that the expanded mandate virtually puts under the microscope the entire trail of donations received by the trust from within India and abroad during the four-year construction phase of the Ram temple and the period thereafter, along with the utilization of those funds.
The SIT – comprising Lucknow District Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police (Lucknow Range) Kiran S, and Special Secretary (Finance) Neil Ratan – first began its investigations on June 13 and submitted its interim report on June 23. She was given a 15-day extension on July 1 and returned to Ayodhya for further interrogation of the suspects on Thursday.
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The team’s findings could determine whether the investigation is expanded to include additional individuals or agencies linked to the fund’s financial and administrative operations, the above-mentioned senior officials said. “The investigation has entered its second phase. The focus is no longer limited to the accused employees, but has shifted to understanding the entire financial management system that has operated since the advent of the trust,” said a senior government official who requested anonymity.
Financial details provided by the foundation at a meeting in March showed it had received donations worth $82.78 crore between April 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. According to the trust, the devotees contributed $54.79 Crore through voluntary funds and $Rs 18.88 crore was received through cash counters. Online donations are counted $8.33 lakh crore, and the contributions received under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) amounted to Rs. $0.78 Crores.
Aside from the donations, I have gained confidence $138.03 crore as interest on its bank deposits during the same period. Trust officials informed the meeting about this $Rs 2,100 crore remained after spending on construction work at Ram Mandir and was in fixed deposits with banks. Including interest earnings, the Fund’s total income over the 11-month period was $220.81 Crores. The Fund also provided details of the significant expenditures $364.44 crores during the period.
The special investigation team requested extensive records from the fund regarding receipt of donations, movement and use of funds, construction expenses, including land purchases, banking transactions, accounting systems, inventory of gold and silver offerings, purchases, and internal financial controls maintained since 2020, officials said.
In the initial phase, the investigation focused primarily on alleged embezzlement by eight accused men – including six people who were involved in counting the offerings of devotees and were paid by a Varanasi-based agency. Investigators are now examining whether the alleged theft revealed broader institutional deficiencies in financial management, administrative oversight and internal control mechanisms. The Pran Pratishtha or dedication ceremony of the temple was held on 22 January 2024.
Investigators sought detailed documents on the entire donation management process, including collection, transportation, counting, recording, storage, settlement, and deposit of congregational offerings. The investigation also covers recruitment criteria, selection procedures, outsourcing arrangements, supervisory responsibilities and compliance with standard operating procedures governing the handling of donations, the senior official said.
On Thursday, the court again questioned general secretary Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra and director Gopal Rao, and recorded statements of trustee Swami Govind Dev Giri and another member of the trust Dinendra Das. According to officials familiar with the investigation, investigators requested clarification on the fund’s internal financial controls, the chain of command in managing donations, the distribution of responsibilities among office officials, and the implementation of safeguards governing cash handling and accounting.
Investigators also examined the memorandum of understanding governing cash management arrangements with the State Bank of India, the role of the external agency involved in cash counting operations and institutional safeguards put in place to prevent financial irregularities. “The questioning of senior staff reflects the expanded scope of the investigation. The goal is not only to determine how the system works but also who is responsible for supervising it and whether any institutional failures allowed the alleged embezzlement to continue undetected,” a senior official said.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra was established on February 5, 2020, following the 2019 Supreme Court ruling in the ownership dispute of the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Mosque.
The eight men arrested so far include Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar “Tino” Yadav, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, Rama Shankar Mishra and Karunesh Pandey. Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are linked to each other, as well as to trust member Anil Mishra, who resigned last week along with trust general secretary Champat Rai. Ram Shankar Yadav – Rai’s assistant – and Manish Yadav are linked. Last week, the police made an arrest $79,85,493 of the eight men arrested, recover money from pigeons, haystacks and cow dung cakes.
The controversy first surfaced on June 7 when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan “Pawan” Pandey claimed the donations were worth… $5 Crores $Rs 7.5 crore has been withdrawn from the temple offerings. On June 13, the state government set up the Special Investigation Committee. According to investigators, the investigation prima facie revealed a systematic transfer of money during the addition and counting process. The court claimed that a portion of the offerings were withdrawn before being deposited in the temple’s designated bank account, leading to the arrest of eight employees associated with handling and counting donations on June 26.
Last month, a First Information Report was registered against eight named accused and other unidentified persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 306, 316 (5), 317 (4), 317 (5), 61 and 3 (5), relating to offenses like criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, along with Section 13 (1) (a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
