Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
They have sought an independent probe into the trust’s financial affairs and demanded that its accounts be made public so every devotee can know how and where the donations were used. They also said anyone found responsible in the investigation must be held accountable.
The letter, written on Saturday, came to light on Sunday. Addressing the Prime Minister, they wrote:
“You had announced the formation of the trust in Parliament, but its members were appointed entirely by the government. It is well known that the trust members are associated with the RSS, VHP and their affiliates. The former general secretary was also considered close to you. In such a situation, your silence is unacceptable. It is your duty to ensure accountability. The credibility of both the government and the trust depends on it.”
Meanwhile, Sunday is the last day of police custody for the main accused, Ramashankar Yadav alias ‘Tinnu’, and his nephew Manish. On Saturday at around 8.30 am, police took both men from the district jail on a 39-hour remand. Police personnel remained at the Special Operations Group (SOG) office until 11 pm, and the accused were not taken anywhere else during the remand.
Tinnu was considered a close aide of former general secretary Champat Rai. He was responsible for overseeing the temple’s donation boxes, while Manish was involved in counting the offerings. Police recovered ₹1 lakh from Tinnu’s house and ₹2 lakh from Manish’s residence. Earlier, police had also taken six other accused — Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, Ramashankar Mishra and Karunesh — into custody for questioning on remand.
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Around 5,000 people have applied for the post of CEO of the Ram Temple Trust so far. The last date for submitting applications was yesterday, 18 July. The issue will also be discussed during the trust’s meeting scheduled for 22 July.
The Ram Temple Trust meeting scheduled in Ayodhya on 22 July will be held at 4 pm at Maniram Das Chhawani. The meeting will discuss the shortage of members in the trust and decisions will be taken on recommendations made during the 6 July meeting.
The final report of the SIT will also be discussed. Other issues, including the appointment of a CEO, will also be taken up during the meeting.
Jagadguru Paramhans Acharya, the head of Tapasvi Chhawani, reacted to the Nirmohi Akhara’s decision to move the Supreme Court in the Ram Mandir matter, saying the Centre had constituted the trust in compliance with the apex court’s order.
He said that if any financial irregularities had taken place, they should be investigated. If the trust is reconstituted, he added, the demand of Ayodhya’s saints and the Sanatani community is that no person associated with the INDIA bloc should be included, whether a saint, an ordinary citizen or a representative of any organisation.
According to the trust, it has received ₹3,264 crore so far through the Nidhi Samarpan campaign and corpus donations. Of this, ₹2,370 crore has been spent on the construction of the Ram Temple and other related works.
From the formation of the trust until 31 March 2026, devotees contributed ₹582 crore in offerings. Of this, ₹391 crore was used for temple operations and other expenses, while the remaining amount has been kept safely in bank accounts.
Following the SIT’s preliminary report, general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Dr Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility. The trust accepted both resignations and also removed Gopal Nagarkatte from the list of special invitees.
The trust has maintained that the truth will emerge only after the legal investigation is completed. It said it would be inappropriate to hold anyone guilty before the probe concludes.
The trust also said it has a complete record of 2,926 categories of gifts offered by devotees. These records are verified every year by an independent chartered accountancy firm. Devotees can also obtain details of their donations by seeking an appointment with the trust.
