A local court in Ayodhya on Monday remanded all accused in the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case to 14-day judicial custody, as the Uttar Pradesh Police intensified its investigation into suspected financial irregularities involving offerings made by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
The case was registered on June 25 under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government. Those named in the FIR include Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others.
The allegations gained momentum after former Samajwadi Party MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, claimed that donations worth around Rs 7 crore to Rs 7.5 crore had been misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. Earlier, the state government had constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team on June 14 to probe the alleged scam, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust.
On Sunday, a police team reached the residence of accused Avinash Shukla in Ayodhya as part of the ongoing probe. Meanwhile, family members of some of the accused, including Ravi Yadav, son of Tinnu Yadav, and Shani Yadav, brother of Manish Yadav, were seen arriving at Ayodhya District Jail to meet their relatives.
The controversy has also triggered resignations within the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On Friday, Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility for the alleged embezzlement. Police have recorded Rai’s statement, while statements of other senior Trust office-bearers, including Mishra, may be recorded later if required, sources said.
In an official statement, the Trust said it was “shocked, hurt, and deeply saddened” by the developments and assured devotees that it was committed to a fair investigation.
The allegations have caused anger among devotees and opened a fresh political front in Uttar Pradesh, where the Ram Mandir remains central to the BJP’s ideological and electoral narrative. Opposition leaders have accused the government of shielding senior figures while acting against lower-level staff, even as the ruling side has maintained that the investigation will be impartial.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the police administration should conduct a fair probe and take strict action, adding that the government would ensure accountability.
The case has now snowballed into a wider political controversy, with the BJP and Opposition parties trading charges over the handling of temple finances as the SIT investigation continues.
