In early June 2026, a controversy erupted over alleged embezzlement of funds and valuables from daily chadhava or donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. While the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple, has denied any mismanagement, over 50 employees linked to the temple management have come under scrutiny.
Donations, 50 employees and embezzlement: Inside the alleged Rs 200 crore Ram Mandir chadhava scam
Consecrated in January 2024, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir attracts lakhs of devotees every year. These devotees donate cash, gold, silver, and ornaments through hundi boxes installed inside the temple. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust handles collection, counting, accounting, and utilisation for the temple’s management and related activities.
For daily cash handling, the temple trust deploys its staff along with those hired via private agencies. These employees are tasked with counting notes, preparing bundles, and maintaining records. There are handling processes for ornaments, etc. According to the Temple Trust, regular internal audits are conducted to maintain transparency.
The allegations of ‘chadhava chori’ or chadhava scam at Ayodhya Ram Mandir were first highlighted by local media. The matter gained political traction on 7th June 2026 after Samajwadi Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav cited media reports of crores in unaccounted donations and called for judicial intervention. Alarming claims emerged about alleged discrepancies in donation collections, sudden wealth accumulation by several low-paid counting staff, and possible missing funds.
“This is an extremely sensitive piece of news for devotees of Lord Ram across the entire world: crores of rupees in offerings to the ‘Ram Mandir’ have been found missing. This is an utterly shameful situation for the temple trust. No one is coming forward to offer any explanation. There is a demand for the court to take suo motu cognisance, as this is directly linked to the deep faith in Lord Ram held by the entire Sanatan society at a global level. The government’s silence is suspicious,” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X on 7th June.
Two days later, Akhilesh Yadav shot a series of questions regarding what he described as “Chadhava Chori Kaand”.
It has been alleged that cores of rupees from daily cash offerings or chadhava were siphoned by temple management insiders. While initially it was claimed that the alleged unaccounted donations ranged from Rs 5 to 7.5 crores, media reports now claim that the missing funds exceed the Rs 200 crore estimates.
Reports claim that since around 2020-21, some cash-counting staff hired through a private agency recorded lower amounts in vouchers than actually collected.
Moreover, there have been alleged discrepancies in the record of donated ornaments. Over ten chest boxes of gold, silver, and jewellery were allegedly removed without conducting proper accounting.
Dharmsena founder Santosh Dubey has claimed that 1,250 Ram stones or Ram Shila, made of gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and eight metals, which were brought to Ayodhya in 1989 after being worshipped from villages, cities, and the country and abroad, have now “disappeared.”
Ayodhya BREAKING 🚨: राममंदिर दान घोटाले के मामले को लेकर हिंदू धर्म सेना के प्रमुख और पूर्व कारसेवक संतोष दुबे ने राम जन्मभूमि पुलिस स्टेशन के SHO को लिखित शिकायत सौंपी।
— Devanshu Mani Tripathi (@devanshu_mani) June 16, 2026
संतोष दुबे ने शिकायत दर्ज करवाते हुए कहा- हमने राम जन्मभूमि से दान की रकम कथित तौर पर चोरी होने के संबंध… pic.twitter.com/kSbeMlmBmy
While the venerated clay shilas or stones remain at Karsevakpuram, the metal stones are allegedly missing. Dharamsena founder Santosh Dubey has highlighted that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai, was also responsible for the care of the gold and silver stones.
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, Dubey made a sensational claim that theft of temple-related precious stones and other objects had been ongoing since 1989. He explicitly named Champat Rai and said, “Champat Rai played a role in this. It is claimed that Paramahamsa Ramchandra Das fell ill from this shock and died two years later. Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti was unable to speak out due to fear. This clearly shows that the theft of gold and silver donated in the name of the Shri Ram Temple began not today, but as early as 1989.”
Allegedly, CCTV footage covering periods of several months, from cash-counting areas, has been deleted, further raising suspicion of a cover-up.
Named in the media as the whistleblower of the alleged Ram Mandir Chadhava/donation scam, Mahipal Singh, who claims to be the Shri Ram Temple’s former accounts-in-charge, alleged that the theft of temple donations has been ongoing for quite some time. He claimed to have reported the matter to Champat Rai and other Trust members; however, he claimed that Champat Rai removed him from his post the very next day. Singh also claimed that CCTV footage from the temple premises dating back eight months was deleted.
What further intensified suspicions of an alleged donation embezzlement was the disproportionate assets of temple staffers. Some of the low-paid staff members allegedly acquired huge properties, expensive vehicles, and businesses far beyond their known income of Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000. Two of the temple employees under police investigation are reported to have recently bought land worth Rs 1.5 crore, while the other had purchased a plot worth Rs 40 lakh.
There are also claims of deliberate mishandling, cover-up, ignored complaints, and involvement of temple staff, including cash-counting staff, supervisors, and some others in the financial chain, including bank teams.
Overall, around 50 employees, cash counters, temple Trust staff, and bank/audit personnel have come under police investigation.
How donations are collected and counted at Ayodhya Shri Ram Mandir
For collecting the offerings made in the ‘Daan Patra’ or donation boxes, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has installed four hundi boxes at specific locations in front of the Ram temple and along the entire darshan route. Devotees arriving at the temple deposit desired amounts in these donation boxes daily.
The Ram Mandir Trust has authorised the State Bank of India to count cash. The SBI has outsourced the counting job to a private agency. Since its consecration on 22nd January 2024, Ram Mandir has received massive donations from Ram Bhakts around the world. On the first few days of its public opening, the temple received around Rs 11 crore in donations, averaging nearly Rs 1 crore per day.
As per the annual report released in September 2025, the temple Trust reported annual earnings of nearly Rs 327 crore during FY 2024-25. While donation offerings contributed Rs 153 crore, interest income accounted for Rs 173 crore.
It is notable here that the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple has consistently attracted Hindus from around the world, reporting a record number of devotee footfalls every year since its opening in 2024.
Champat Rai denies chadhava chori allegations, UP government forms SIT
Reacting to the allegations regarding missing Rs 7 crore, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai has categorically rejected these claims. He maintains that there have been no irregularities in fund management and no missing amounts have been detected during the internal audit.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into claims that a part of the donations received at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya cannot be accounted for.
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, entered the complex through Gate No. 11 pic.twitter.com/jQsLJpYC1R
— IANS (@ians_india) June 16, 2026
“The trust sought a thorough inquiry, calling it necessary to check misinformation and bring out the truth, alleging that attempts were being made to tarnish the image of the Ram temple and hurt the faith of millions of devotees,” the state government said.
The SIT has been directed to submit a preliminary report within seven days, while a detailed final report is expected within 15 days. According to official sources, the panel includes Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General Kiran S, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.
The decision to set up the SIT was taken after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust approached Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and requested an independent inquiry. The trust said an official investigation was needed to establish the facts and clear up what it described as misleading claims regarding temple donations.
The issue gained attention after leaders of the Samajwadi Party raised questions about the money collected through donation boxes at the Ram Mandir. Former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey claimed that an amount between ₹5 crore and ₹7.5 crore was missing from the donations received by the temple.
Recently, the UP Police SIT arrested cash-counting staff member Lavkush Mishra, following the recovery of unexplained cash and suspicious property purchases. Mishra was arrested after police recovered Rs 10 lakh from his house. Some of the cash stash was hidden under cow dung. The investigators initiated action against Lavkush Mishra after an internal audit and noticed his suspicious conduct during a CCTV footage analysis.
While the Trust denies its direct involvement in any wrongdoing, BJP veterans like Vinay Katiyar have demanded a thorough investigation, stern action against the ‘chanda chors’, and also stated that the donation theft is a betrayal of decades of devotion.
Meanwhile, a public interest litigation has been moved before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court. The PIL seeks a CBI-led, court-monitored probe into the alleged fiscal irregularities in Shri Ram Mandir donations. Advocate Mohit Ashok has demanded a time-bound investigation into the alleged misappropriation of Ram Mandir donations, including cash and gold or silver offerings.
Amidst the probe, allegations, counter-allegations, politics, and PILs, BJP leader Rajneesh Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking public disclosure of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust’s finances, assets, donations, expenditures, bank accounts and land transactions.
