FIR Registered Against Eight in Ram Temple Donation Embezzlement Case

The FIR was lodged by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

LUCKNOW: Two days after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary report to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, an FIR has been registered against eight persons, including key accused Tinnu Yadav and Anukalp Mishra, on charges of theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy. The FIR was lodged by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Krishna Mohan at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station under Sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant), 316 (criminal breach of trust), 317 (cheating) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police sources said.

According to the complaint, the accused allegedly embezzled donations offered by devotees at the Ram Temple and misappropriated trust funds through a criminal conspiracy. The case pertains to the alleged diversion of money collected from donation boxes installed within the temple premises.

The registration of the FIR comes two days after the three-member SIT, constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, submitted its preliminary findings to the state government. The SIT was formed following a formal request by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after allegations surfaced regarding irregularities in the handling of donations on June 13, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, the panel also comprised Lucknow Range IG Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neelratan Kumar.

Sources said the SIT examined records relating to donation collection, counting, cash handling, storage and supervision, besides questioning temple employees and officials associated with the process. The panel was tasked with identifying lapses in the handling of donations and determining whether a wider conspiracy existed.

The alleged embezzlement came to light earlier this month after claims of financial irregularities were raised in the public domain, prompting the Trust to initiate an internal inquiry before seeking a government-led investigation. While the Trust had maintained that routine audits had not detected any discrepancies, it requested an SIT probe to establish the facts and dispel speculation surrounding the matter.