In a major development that clears the air around the Ayodhya Ram Mandir controversy, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government has given a complete clean chit to former general secretary Champat Rai and former trust member Anil Mishra in the donation theft case. The conclusive probe found no evidence linking either of the senior figures to the siphoning of temple funds. The UP Home Department officially handed over the SIT's final report to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday, paving the way for the temple administration to act on its findings and revamp internal security protocols.
The three-member SIT was formed on June 13 at the direct request of the Ram Temple Trust after initial audits flagged suspicious pilferage at cash collection counters. Headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, alongside Ayodhya Range IG Kiran S and Special Secretary for Finance Neel Ratan Kumar, the panel spent over two months reviewing temple accounts. The team audited bank trails, scanned complex CCTV footage, inspected cash-counting operations, and questioned ground staff, contractors, and administrative aides stationed across the pilgrimage site.
The controversy originally surfaced when temple officials spotted discrepancies in the accounting of cash offerings and valuable items deposited into donation drop boxes by visiting devotees. Following preliminary findings submitted on June 23, police registered an FIR on June 25 and arrested eight people directly involved in collecting, carrying, and counting the money. The arrested individuals, mostly outsourced workers and local administrative helpers, had taken advantage of procedural gaps and weak digital surveillance to pocket portions of daily cash offerings.
As public scrutiny grew and political debate intensified, both Champat Rai and Anil Mishra stepped down from their administrative roles. Both insisted their resignations were submitted strictly on moral grounds to preserve the dignity of the trust, reassure millions of devotees, and give the probe team complete independence without any impression of interference. In their absence, former IFS officer Krishna Mohan was brought in as interim general secretary to oversee day-to-day operations.
According to sources familiar with the final report, the SIT concluded that the theft was carried out entirely by rogue ground staff who exploited their access. A detailed financial audit revealed no unauthorized transfers, unexplained wealth, or illicit financial gains tied to Rai or Mishra. Consequently, the SIT has maintained criminal charges solely against the eight previously arrested workers, backed by recovered cash, digital evidence, and witness statements.
Alongside criminal accountability, the SIT report laid out crucial structural reforms to safeguard future donations. It recommended introducing automated counting and sorting machines, tamper-proof smart lockboxes, biometric access controls in cash rooms, and rotating audit panels composed of independent banking professionals. It also called for mandatory, strict police verification and background checks for all outsourced and contractual staff.
The clean chit brings significant relief to the RSS, VHP, and local seers in Ayodhya, who had stood firmly behind Champat Rai throughout the probe, citing his decades of service as an organization pracharak. With the submission of the final report, the temple trust is set to convene an executive meeting to implement the suggested safeguards, overhaul collection procedures, and ensure transparent, tech-driven oversight across the entire shrine complex.