Articles
Fallout of Ayodhya Temple Episode on our religious sites
Opinion | Articles | Isaac Harold Gomes | 06-Jul-2026
The Ayodhya Temple defalcation allegations have badly dented the high-moral-plank of the twelve-member Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJTK) Trust and in the process, that of the Union Government that handpicked the trustees in 2020.
On the face of it everything looked well taken care of:
· The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was officially inaugurated and opened to the public on 22 January 2024.
· The SRJTK Trust manages the temple’s operations, construction, and vast donations (an estimated Rs 3,500 crore in cash donations alone).
· The State Bank of India (SBI) has the mandate to oversee cash counting and banking.
Religious sites namely Ayodhya, Tirupati, Jagannath, Vaishno Devi, Siddhivinayak, Kashi Vishwanath, Ajmeer Sharif, Vailankani Church receive huge donations every year, besides gold, silver, and jewellery. Most of these are managed by registered charitable trusts where donations qualify for income-tax deductions under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. However, it is doubtful whether donations in the form of cash offerings and goods in kind are accounted for.
Meanwhile the following developments have taken place:
1. The police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) have stated that direct evidence of the theft of the temple offerings has been found from CCTV footage, against five of the eight persons arrested. An examination of 45 day-footage revealed that these five accused were siphoning off cash donations and valuables from devotees.
2. A portion of the stolen money recovered by the SIT from the arrested persons is given in the link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/ayodhya-ram-mandir-donation-theft-first-photo-shows-accused-inside-temple-counting-room/articleshow/132153701.cms
3. The modus operandi is given in the inset video in the above link.
4. The outsourcing agency engaged by the Ram Mandir authorities to recruit cash-counting staff has claimed that it did not select these eight arrested persons. It maintains that they were recommended by certain personnel at the local branch of the State Bank of India (SBI), where the temple's cash donations and valuables are deposited.
5. However, sources within the SIT revealed that the SBI had flagged "suspicious irregularities" in the donation-counting process about three months ago and recommended replacement of the concerned personnel allegedly known to SRJTK Trust members.
6. The SIT suspects that temple staff (called ‘sevadars’) and even some members and office-bearers of the SRJTK Trust, may be involved.
7. This suspicion has forced the resignation of Champat Rai (General Secretary of the Trust) immediately after the arrest of eight accused on June 25; Anil Mishra also stepped down as Senior Trustee.
8. On 02.07.2026, a group of local lawyers reportedly filed a formal written complaint with Ram Janmabhoomi police station, directly indicting Champat Rai of involvement in the theft of the offerings. Surprisingly, no First Information Report (FIR) has not been registered against Champat and Anil Mishra. The police have only interrogated them as part of the SIT probe.
9. Incidentally, Ramshankar Yadav, alias Tinu Yadav, one of the eight arrested for the theft, was once the driver of Champat Rai, then Vice-President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
10. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has described the theft of temple offerings as a "deep blow to the sentiments of Ram devotees" and has pledged to ensure strict punishment for the culprits.
Lessons to learn
· The Ayodhya temple episode has nothing to do with any religion as such. It’s a case study to highlight the lacunae in our system - in all religions.
· This calls for boosting the checks (both manual and electronic) and balances in all religious sites, until and unless the powers-that-be (in our temples, mosques and churches) are intent keeping some windows open so that the spoils can be shared.
· However, money always leaves a trial behind, as the Ayodhya case initial findings show.
· The logic is very simple: No cash collection, no chance of any pilferage.
· As the above video shows, the pilferage begins from the cash count and its actual accounting/banking.
· Late Fr Mervyn Carapiet who was well-known for his witty speeches, observed on Laity Sunday at Seva Kendra in 2012, that cash count must be conducted immediately after every Mass. He sent the audience in splits when he cited instances of memory lapses of some Parish Priests when cash-count was delayed to the next day!
· To ensure transparency, why not make collections/donations cashless (cheque or UPI-based)?
· Extension of UPI to bus/tram rides/other services, to avoid siphon-off of collection proceeds.
Already another case of fund embezzlement has come up in Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple. The Temple Committee has set up a four-member enquiry committee to submit its report within seven days.
The moot question is how much intent do we have to correct ourselves and our systems?
(The contributor is a member of the Indian Catholic Press Association, a social activist, and a freelance journalist. He writes for different publications on various issues. He can be reached @ isaac25gomes@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal)