SIT report in Ram Mandir donation case shocked, allegation of violation of SBI rules; SOP was ignored

Ram Temple Donation Case: A big revelation has come to light in the matter of irregularities in the amount of offerings and donations coming to the grand Ram temple of Ayodhya. The preliminary investigation report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government has revealed that the strict rules laid down for counting and maintaining the offerings of the temple were not followed. The report clearly states that the agreement made between Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and State Bank of India (SBI) was completely put on hold. This negligence has been viewed by the investigating team as a very serious and allegedly deliberate conspiracy. Since this revelation, there has been a stir from Ayodhya to Lucknow.

SOP was completely ignored

At the root of this entire matter is the SOP which was prepared after the meetings held between senior officials of the Trust and the Bank in September 2024 and February 2025. The main objective of this agreement was the security of donation boxes, method of counting cash and keeping accurate records of every penny. This important document was also signed by Govind Mishra on behalf of SBI and Anil Mishra on behalf of the Trust. The surprising thing is that the Trust was afraid of manipulation in the offerings long ago, that is why these rules were made. Despite this, when the time came to count the money, all these security rules were completely put on the back burner and no rules were followed.

The accused had the main keys without authority

The most shocking point in the SIT report is regarding the major breach in the security system. Investigation found that the main accused in this case, Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, had the keys of donation boxes (hundis) without any government or official order. He was using these keys without any restriction. The report also raised that there were many shortcomings in the movement and security of money, from donation boxes to the cash counting room. The way the money was managed was a direct breach of security. In its report, the investigation team has said that very strict action will be taken against such negligence.

Resignation of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra on moral grounds

Immediately after this big revelation and the SIT report, a major administrative reshuffle has been seen in Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have resigned from their posts. According to sources, both these senior officials have taken this step taking moral responsibility. Although till now no major official statement has come out from the Trust regarding this resignation, but in political and social circles it is being seen as being directly linked to the SIT investigation and the strict stance of the government.

All 8 named accused are in police custody

In this case, following the initial recommendations of the SIT, the police had already registered a case. Ayodhya Police has shown great speed in this case and arrested all the eight accused included in the FIR. Those arrested include Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu. According to the police, all these people were directly involved in the counting of temple offerings and cash management in some way or the other and all the work was being done under their supervision.

The culprits will not be spared at any cost: Chief Minister

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made his very strict stand clear on this entire matter. He has said in clear words that as soon as the SIT report was received, the government started taking immediate action. The Chief Minister has assured that whoever is found guilty in this case will not be spared at any cost. No one can be allowed to play with public trust. Very soon the government will separate the milk from the water. On the other hand, politics has also intensified on this issue. Opposition parties like Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party say that an attempt is being made to protect the trust’s senior officials by not including their names in the FIR. However, the government has made it clear that the investigation is completely impartial.

Also read: ‘This is a religious war, everyone will have to fight together’, Kejriwal made many allegations in the case of donation theft regarding Ram Temple.