Ram Temple Donation Theft Chargesheet Filed in Ayodhya Court Naming Eight Accused

Uttar Pradesh Police filed a comprehensive chargesheet on Wednesday in the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case before a local court in Ayodhya, naming eight accused individuals. The extensive submission, running into thousands of pages and accompanied by numerous annexures, details the chronological sequence of events, charitable donation verifications, and financial institution transfers surrounding cash offerings made by devotees.

The case stems from an FIR registered on June 25 following a preliminary inquiry by a state government Special Investigation Team. Representing the defense, advocate Kul Shekhar Singh stated that the chargesheet invokes Sections 316(5), 372, 375, 162, 131A, and 132 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, marking approximately the 90-day statutory threshold since proceedings commenced.

Investigators have reported the recovery of Rs 79.85 lakh in connection with the financial irregularities, alongside vehicles and ornaments. The voluminous documentation incorporates statements from 173 witnesses and outlines 105 distinct incidents of alleged fund misappropriation. Most of the accused individuals arrested in the investigation were bank employees deployed on-site for counting cash donations offered at the temple.

Security protocols for the counting process included lists of donation boxes, shift-based counting, and biometric attendance. Available CCTV footage from April 27, 2026, to June 5, 2026, detected 70 acts of theft and embezzlement.

Court records indicate that accused Subhash Srivastava served as the person in charge of the donation-counting operations, while Ramashankar, also known as Tinnu Yadav, functioned as a driver and close associate of former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai. The prosecuting authorities and SIT findings have omitted former Trust officials from the chargesheet, giving a clean chit to figures such as Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao, despite prior local scrutiny.

Judicial proceedings on Wednesday faced immediate scheduling adjustments following the formal filing. The special anti-corruption court had previously rejected bail applications for three accused individuals, including Avinash Shukla, Manish Kumar Yadav, and Ram Shankar Mishra on Monday, followed by the rejection of pleas from Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey on Tuesday. Their judicial custody has subsequently been extended by 14 days.

Hearings concerning the bail applications of the remaining two accused, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav, were scheduled before Special Judge Rajat Verma but were deferred to Thursday. Defense counsel noted that the defense team has yet to receive physical copies of the voluminous chargesheet, which must be reviewed before formulating further legal responses or formal challenges.

The formal submission of the chargesheet triggered immediate disruptions at the District Court as local advocates launched a protest by halting judicial work and going on strike. Members of the bar association gathered outside the courtroom of the Special Judge for the Prevention of Corruption Act to voice strong objections.

The striking advocates contended that the court should have formally heard their prior objections regarding the scope of the investigation before taking cognisance of the chargesheet. Specifically, local legal practitioners had previously petitioned authorities to bring former Trust officials within the ambit of the inquiry due to their administrative oversight of temple funds.

The protest concluded after representatives met with the district judge, allowing normal court operations to resume. The court is scheduled to examine the chargesheet to determine its admissibility, review documentary evidence, and fix subsequent hearing dates to evaluate the exact legal standing and individual roles of the accused persons named in the report.