Ram Temple corruption allegations have led to at least eight arrests in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, after claims that donations and valuables at the shrine were embezzled, Al Jazeera reported.
The allegations involve the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple in northern India. Devotees’ donations and valuables went missing after they were handed to trust-linked officials.
The claims surfaced after Mahipal Singh, a former supervisor in the trust’s accounting team, publicly alleged irregularities. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member investigation team after public criticism.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra | On the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh says, “People are demanding accountability regarding the funds collected before the construction of Ram Mandir; the corruption that has come to light, specifically how… pic.twitter.com/hpXQCPGKQR
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2026The Economic Times reported that an FIR was filed after the Special Investigation Team submitted a preliminary report to the state government. Police later arrested eight people, including staff involved in counting cash and valuables at the temple.
Several devotees have asked about valuables they said they gave to trust executives. The items included silver bricks, gold jewellery and artefacts, Al Jazeera reported.
Champat Rai, the trust’s longstanding general secretary, stepped down on Friday, along with other senior trustees. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav accused the state government of shielding senior figures.
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Karpatri Maharaj, a Hindu seer linked to the Ram Temple movement, alleged that junior employees were being used as scapegoats.
The Ram Temple stands on the site where the 16th-century Babri Mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992. India’s Supreme Court awarded the disputed site to Hindus in 2019 while calling the demolition illegal.
