SIT investigation is going on in the Ayodhya Ram temple donation misappropriation case. Know the entire controversy, the role of the 8 accused, the Trust’s side and what has come to light so far.
Ram Temple Donation Row: Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai has resigned in the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case. At the same time, 8 accused have been arrested so far in this entire controversy. Let us tell you that on June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case. SIT is now investigating the entire matter and the role of all the people associated with counting the donations is being investigated. Do you know who are the 8 accused arrested in donation theft case?
1- Tinnu Yadav
Ram Shankar Yadav, better known as Tinnu Yadav, is the most talked about name in this case. It is said that he was the former driver of Trust General Secretary Champat Rai. He was also associated with Karsevakapuram of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and was involved in counting donations in the temple. It is alleged that the keys of the donation boxes remained with him and due to his closeness to some members of the trust, he had influence over the entire system. However, Tinnu Yadav has denied any role in counting the donations. He blamed “jealous people” for these allegations without naming anyone.
2- Ravi Mishra
Ramashankar Mishra alias Ravi Mishra was also involved in the process of counting donations. He is accused of conspiring with some employees. The allegation is also that he included his son and son-in-law in the counting of donations.
3- Anukalp Mishra
Anukalp Mishra is the son of accused Ramashankar Mishra. They were also involved in the process of counting donations. It is said that Anukalp Mishra is also a relative of trustee Anil Mishra.
4- Lavkush Mishra
Lavkush Mishra is the son-in-law of Ramashankar Mishra. It is alleged that he was responsible for disposing of the misappropriated money. In the initial phase of investigation, allegations of recovery of cash from his house also came to light.
5- Avinash Shukla
Avinash Shukla, who is said to be a temple attendant, is also accused of being involved in misappropriation of money. During investigation, he was found to be an important member of this alleged syndicate. It is alleged that Rs 5 lakh was recovered from his bank account.
6- Manish Yadav
Manish Yadav is said to be the nephew of Tinnu Yadav. They were also involved in the process of counting donations. It is alleged that money allegedly related to embezzlement was also recovered from his house.
7- Subhash Srivastava
Former bank employee Subhash Srivastava was in charge of the cash counting staff.
8- Karunesh Pandey
Karunesh Pandey has been accused of manipulating donation receipts. The Trust had handed over the counting of donations to State Bank of India (SBI), while SBI had given this responsibility to a private agency.
How much donation does Ram temple receive?
Since the inauguration of Ram Temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024, a large number of devotees have been reaching the temple and donations have also increased continuously. According to the annual report released in September 2025, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust earned an income of about Rs 327 crore in the financial year 2024-25.
- Income from donations: Rs 153 crore
- Interest income: Rs 173 crore
How many devotees arrive every day?
According to the Trust, on an average 70 thousand to 80 thousand devotees come to visit Ram temple every day. On weekends and big festivals this number increases by two to three times compared to normal days.
How are donations counted?
A team of 14 members counts the amount deposited in donation boxes in Ram temple. This team includes 11 bank employees and 3 temple trust representatives. Together they count the cash deposited in the four donation boxes of the temple.
What does the Trust have to say about donations with receipts?
Temple Trust camp office in-charge Prakash Gupta had earlier told news agency IANS that donations received at the counter are accepted only after issuing a receipt. According to him, even if there has been some kind of irregularity, it may not be related to the donations deposited through receipts, but to the process of counting the cash deposited in the donation boxes.