Ram Temple donation probe: Clean chit for Champat Rai, Anil Mishra

Ayodhya: Former Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra have been cleared in the first SIT report into the alleged donation theft case, while a second SIT continues its probe.

The first SIT report does not name Champat Rai or former Trust member Anil Mishra in connection with the alleged theft of temple donations.

The Uttar Pradesh Home Department has examined the report and forwarded it to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Both Rai and Mishra resigned from their Trust positions on June 27, amid the ongoing controversy.

What did the SIT find?

The first SIT had detected alleged cash thefts around 70 times in the temple's counting room between April 27 and June 5.

CCTV footage allegedly showed employees concealing and taking away cash. The report also flagged lapses in security procedures, including inadequate frisking at entry and exit points.

An FIR was registered on June 25, naming eight people who have since been arrested.

What is the Ram Temple donation theft case and who was blamed?

The case began after allegations surfaced in June 2026 that cash from donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple had been stolen. An initial SIT inquiry reportedly found around 70 instances of alleged cash theft in the temple’s counting room between April 27 and June 5.

The first SIT also flagged lapses in security and cash-handling procedures, including inadequate frisking and alleged violations of the standard operating procedure followed by the temple Trust and the State Bank of India.

An FIR was registered on June 25, naming Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu. All eight were arrested, according to the report.

Former Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra, who resigned from their positions on June 27 amid the controversy, were not named in the first SIT's final report. The report has therefore cleared them in the first investigation.

Is the case over?

No. A second SIT, headed by IG Lucknow range Kiran S, is continuing the investigation under the Supreme Court's directions.

The first SIT's clean chit to Rai and Mishra therefore does not close the wider donation theft case.

The temple Trust reported receiving ₹82.78 crore in donations between April 2025 and February 2026, making the investigation into its cash-handling and security procedures significant.

The latest report clears Rai and Mishra in the first SIT's findings, but the broader case remains active. The second SIT will continue examining the alleged theft, the eight arrested accused and the management lapses identified during the initial probe.