2026 Ram Mandir embezzlement case
2026 money embezzlement case in India
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Through Ayodhya, Supreme Court of India and Ayodhya dispute
Background
The Ram Mandir was inaugurated in January 2024 after the Supreme Court's 2019 judgment in the Ayodhya dispute. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is responsible for managing the temple, overseeing its construction and operations, and collecting donations and offerings from devotees. By early 2026, the Trust received large amounts of cash through donations and daily offerings. It was later accused of mismanaging some of these funds.
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Investigation and arrests
On 13 June 2026, the Uttar Pradesh government set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, along with senior police and finance officials. The SIT's initial investigation found evidence that cash donations were being systematically diverted while they were being collected and counted, before the money was deposited into the Trust's bank accounts.
In late June 2026, the police registered a First Information Report against eight named individuals, mainly staff responsible for handling and counting donations, along with other unidentified persons. The case included charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft, and criminal conspiracy, as well as under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Around 26 June 2026, police arrested all eight accused and recovered nearly ₹80 lakh (US$83,000) in cash from seven of them. The accused were later sent to judicial custody.
After the investigation began, the Trust accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, removed the temple administrator, and started the process of appointing a new chief executive officer. The Trust also released details of the donations it had received and how the money had been spent on the temple's construction and operations.
Supreme Court proceedings
Several PILs were filed in the Supreme Court asking for a court-monitored investigation by the CBI through an SIT. The petitions also requested that important evidence, which included CCTV footage, donation registers, bank records, and digital logs, be preserved, and called for greater transparency in the Trust's finances. The petitioners included advocates and a Member of Parliament.
On 29 June 2026, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court refused to hear the petitions urgently, stating that "heavens are not going to fall." The Court directed that the cases be listed after it resumed its regular sittings in mid-July. On 13 July 2026, the Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the ongoing SIT investigation and directed the Trust to respond to the request for a CBI inquiry. On 26 July 2026, it ordered the state government ti appoint an independent forensic auditor in the reconstituted SIT.
As of early August 2026, the state-level SIT investigation was still ongoing. The Supreme Court had not yet decided whether to transfer the case to the CBI.
Reactions
The case sparked political debate, with opposition parties demanding an independent Supreme Court-monitored investigation. Dissent was also reported within the ruling party.