AGENCIES / WEB DESK
A political and public controversy has emerged over allegations of financial irregularities involving donations collected at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, with opposition leaders demanding accountability while temple authorities and police deny any wrongdoing.
On Sunday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that crores of rupees received as offerings at the Ram Temple had gone missing and urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
In a post on X, Yadav described the issue as highly sensitive for devotees of Lord Ram worldwide and questioned what he called the absence of a clear explanation from the temple administration. He also raised concerns over the government’s silence and called for judicial scrutiny of the matter.
The controversy intensified after reports circulating in sections of the media, citing unnamed sources, claimed that irregularities had been detected during the counting of donations from temple collection boxes. Some reports alleged that four individuals had been detained and that one senior official linked to temple operations had been relieved of duties. Claims also surfaced that donation counting was being carried out through authorised banking procedures involving the State Bank of India.
However, senior police officials rejected reports of detentions and stated that no individual had been taken into custody and no formal questioning was underway. According to officials, routine audit and accounting procedures were being conducted and some reports being circulated were inaccurate or misleading.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust also denied allegations of missing funds. Trust General Secretary Champat Rai issued a video statement rejecting claims of financial irregularities and said there was no truth to reports suggesting that crores of rupees had disappeared from temple donations.
Meanwhile, trust member and Nirmohi Akhara mahant Mahant Dinendra Das defended the trust’s functioning. He said he had no information about any alleged scam and maintained that temple rituals, administration, and trust decisions continued to operate normally and transparently.
Political reactions also followed. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh questioned the trust’s explanation and demanded accountability if any wrongdoing was found.
According to information previously shared by temple authorities, nearly four dozen donation boxes have been installed across the Ram Temple complex and along the darshan route. Donations deposited by devotees are collected regularly and processed through an authorised counting mechanism.
At present, conflicting claims remain in the public domain. While opposition leaders and critics are seeking an independent inquiry and fuller disclosure, the temple trust and police continue to deny allegations of embezzlement or detentions. No official investigation findings or documentary confirmation of financial misconduct have been publicly released so far.
(This is a developing story. Claims and counterclaims remain subject to official verification.)