A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged theft and misappropriation of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple has named two former office-bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust as government witnesses, according to the chargesheet filed in a special court in Ayodhya.
The case relates to complaints that cash offerings and donations—given by devotees in gold, silver and money during the temple’s construction phase and later deposited in the hundi—were siphoned off. The SIT’s inquiry found that some staff involved in counting offerings allegedly diverted large sums, hid the money and later removed it from the premises.
Eight people have been arrested and booked under charges including criminal breach of trust and provisions of anti-corruption law. The chargesheet states that CCTV footage from the offering-counting room recorded theft incidents more than 100 times, with accused Avinash Shukla allegedly involved in 85 instances and Karunash Pandey in two, while other staff allegedly aided them.
Investigators said they recovered large amounts of cash, US dollars and valuables such as gold and silver from the accused. The chargesheet mentions recoveries including Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, Rs 18.07 lakh from Anukalp Mishra and Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, along with digital records and bank account details submitted as supporting evidence.
The SIT has filed a 76,000-page chargesheet and listed 133 government witnesses, including former trustee Anil Kumar Mishra and former general secretary Sampat Rai. Sampat Rai has reportedly given a statement regarding a June 4 theft incident, referring to cash being recovered from a temple toilet.
