In a major development in the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case, an FIR was registered on Thursday at Ayodhya’s Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station on the complaint of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. This is the first major legal action in the matter after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary findings to the Uttar Pradesh government.
According to information available so far, the FIR names eight accused and also mentions several unidentified persons. Those booked include Anukalp Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, and others, who have been charged under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316, 317, 61 and related provisions dealing with embezzlement, cheating and criminal conspiracy.
Shri Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, filed the complaint. Sources said the named accused include Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Subhash Chandra, Karunesh Pandey and another accused whose identity is yet to be officially confirmed.
The case stems from allegations of misappropriation of donations offered at the Ram Temple. The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted an SIT on June 13 after the temple trust sought a formal investigation into the suspected irregularities. The SIT’s preliminary report was submitted to the government two days ago, and the FIR was subsequently registered in accordance with its recommendations and directions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Sources indicate that the case includes allegations of theft, repeated theft, aiding the commission of theft, and criminal breach of trust by persons associated with the institution, all under the ambit of a broader criminal conspiracy. It is also being reported that cash allegedly linked to the embezzlement has been recovered from the accused, and all eight named persons have been taken into custody.
The matter had earlier snowballed into a political controversy after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav referred to reports claiming that crores of rupees from temple donations had gone missing and called for judicial intervention. In response, VHP leader Alok Kumar had accused the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of trying to exploit the issue for political gain ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
With the state government said to be in no mood to go soft, further arrests and more action in the case are likely in the coming days.
