Ram Temple donation row escalates: FIR filed against 8 - trust names key accused

An FIR has been registered over the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. 

The temple trust named eight accused in the FIR while also booking several unidentified persons, sources told India Today. The named accused include Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Subhash Chandra, Karunesh Pandey and one more accused whose name is awaited.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 306 (theft by a clerk or public servant), 316(5) (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant, broker, attorney or agent), 317(4) (habitually receiving or dealing in stolen property), 317(5) (assisting in the concealment or disposal of stolen property), 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 3(5) (criminal act committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The case was registered following a recommendation from the Special Investigation Team probing the allegations and was based on a complaint filed by Shri Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The Trust had approached the Uttar Pradesh government after allegations surfaced about irregularities in donations offered at the temple. The FIR was registered on the basis of facts that emerged during the initial investigation, while the SIT continues to gather further evidence.

The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on June 13 at the request of the temple Trust.

On Tuesday, Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant submitted the team’s preliminary inquiry report to Additional Chief Secretary for Home Sanjay Prasad. 

Pant earlier told PTI that the SIT was trying to submit its final report within the next 10 to 15 days. He said the preliminary report was confidential and that he was not authorised to disclose its findings at this stage.

Earlier today, VHP International President Alok Kumar demanded an FIR in the case and called for the investigation to be completed within four months.

"We demand that in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation case, an FIR should be filed, the investigation should be expedited, a fast-track court should take up the matter on a day-to-day basis, and the guilty persons should suffer their punishment," Kumar told PTI.

He said proceedings should be conducted daily to ensure that anyone found responsible is punished without delay.

On Thursday, a representative of the Sindhi community sought transparency regarding around 200 kilograms of silver bricks donated to the temple in January 2021. 

Raju V Manwani, a businessman and representative of the global Sindhi community, said the silver bricks were donated on January 26, 2021, by nearly 200 devotees of the community from India and abroad as a contribution towards the construction of the Ram temple. 

According to Manwani, devotees had contributed varying quantities of silver bricks, ranging from one to ten bricks each, and the entire donation was handed over for use in the temple project. He said no receipt was issued at the time of the donation, as they believed the contribution would be utilised appropriately for the temple's construction. 

However, in the wake of recent reports and the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities linked to temple donations, the community has sought information regarding the utilisation of the silver bricks and requested that receipts or relevant records be made available. 

Manwani said the silver donated by the community was valued at approximately Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore.