Eight Arrested After FIR in Alleged Ram Mandir Donation Misappropriation Case
Eight people have been arrested after an FIR was registered in the alleged Ram Mandir donation misappropriation case, while the investigation continues and political reactions intensify over the developments.
Ayodhya: The Special Investigation Team has arrested eight individuals in connection with the alleged misappropriation of donations linked to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The arrests were made shortly after a First Information Report was registered based on the findings of a preliminary inquiry.
According to officials, the accused are being questioned in detail, and all legal formalities related to the arrests have been completed. The FIR was filed following recommendations made in the SIT’s initial report and on a complaint lodged by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The case names Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu, as accused. The complaint also mentions the possible involvement of several unidentified persons.
The FIR includes allegations related to theft, criminal breach of trust, receiving or concealing stolen property, criminal conspiracy, and acts committed with a common intention. Investigators are examining financial records and other evidence as part of the ongoing probe.
Krishna Mohan was appointed as a trustee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in September 2025 following the death of trustee Kameshwar Chaupal earlier that year. The FIR was registered two days after the SIT submitted its preliminary findings to the Uttar Pradesh Government.
The case gained further attention after Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh alleged financial irregularities within the trust and submitted eleven documents to the investigating team in support of his claims. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition seeking a fair and time bound investigation into the allegations, with the matter scheduled for hearing on June 29.
Reacting to the arrests, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the direction of the investigation. In a post on X, he alleged that under the present system only smaller players were being targeted while those allegedly responsible at higher levels were escaping scrutiny.
