{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Ayodhya lawyers escalate protest, demand FIR against three Ram temple trust officials in donation scam",
  "summary": "Advocates in Ayodhya took to the streets demanding an FIR against Ram Mandir Trust general secretary Champat Rai, member Anil Mishra and special member Gopal Rao in the donation theft case, as the SIT probe gathers pace.",
  "content": "Tension is running high in Ayodhya over allegations of theft and irregularities in donations collected at the Ram temple, with advocates now demanding criminal action against three senior functionaries of the Ram Mandir Trust even as the state's Special Investigation Team pushes ahead with a wider probe into the trust's finances.\n\nAdvocates march to the police station, press for an FIR\nAdvocates in Ayodhya came out onto the streets demanding that an FIR be registered against Ram Mandir Trust general secretary Champat Rai, trust member Dr Anil Mishra and special member Gopal Rao. The district administration first tried to pacify the lawyers inside the court complex itself, but the effort did not work. A large number of advocates then marched out and reached the Civil Line police station, where the in-charge of Rampur police station accepted a written complaint from them at the Civil Line outpost.\n\nA five-member delegation of advocates also headed separately towards the Ram Janmabhoomi police station. The lawyers made it clear that their anger is directed at the Ram Mandir Trust, and alleged that an attempt is being made to shield those responsible for the donation theft. Their application demands that a case be registered against Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, and there were indications that a case against the trust office-bearers could be registered before long. According to the SIT's findings so far, eight accused have already been sent to jail in the matter.\n\nAdvocate Kalika Prasad Mishra said the police had received their complaint and had assured that an FIR would be registered. He said the complaint carries the names of four people, including Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, but clarified that only a complaint has been lodged so far and an FIR is yet to be formally registered.\n\nThe Faizabad Bar Association Sangh had, in a recent meeting, already decided that its members would submit a written complaint, or tahrir, against Champat Rai at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station, and that lawyers would remain stationed there until a case is actually registered. The plan was for advocates to leave the court complex at 11 am on Thursday and head to the Ram Janmabhoomi police station to hand over the tahrir. The association had already warned that lawyers would launch an agitation if cases are not filed against Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao.\n\nSeparately, the investigating officer looking into the donation theft case reached the Ram Janmabhoomi complex to question people connected with the site as part of the ongoing inquiry.\n\nKejriwal alleges land deals worth crores and a 40 percent commission racket\nAam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal held a press conference and alleged that large-scale land scams took place in 2021 around the temple project. He claimed that a family identified as the Pathak family sold land worth 2 crore rupees to a person linked to the ruling party, and that within ten minutes the same land was sold on to the trust for 18 crore rupees. He further alleged that land worth 3 crore was sold for 24 crore, land worth 9 crore was sold for 55 crore, and land worth 24 crore was sold for 95 crore, claiming that the Prime Minister was never told about any of this. Kejriwal also said that engineers who worked on the temple's construction have alleged that a 40 percent commission used to be demanded from them.\n\nDuring the press conference, Kejriwal asked whether the real culprits in the Ram Mandir donation theft case would actually be punished. He said some in the media are suggesting that Modi will not spare anyone, but he wanted to ask people whether Modi would actually be able to get the real thieves punished. He said he has no proof that money reached Modi personally, but argued that the sequence of events shows Modi left no stone unturned to protect the accused. He pointed out that the Prime Minister had formed the trust himself and had personally picked every single member of it, adding that Champat Rai is seen as close to the Prime Minister and was made the trust's key figure by Modi.\n\nTrust insiders push back, defend Champat Rai\nMahant Dinendra Das, a trustee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said he has known Champat Rai for the past 12 to 15 years and that Champat Rai never speaks ill of anyone. He said he has personally spoken to Champat Rai and, in his assessment, Champat Rai is in the right, adding that everything is disclosed during the trust's meetings. He also revealed that two meetings of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust are scheduled for July 6 and July 12, to be led by Govind Dev Giri.\n\nIn a more detailed statement, Mahant Dinendra Das, who is also the mahant of the Nirmohi Akhara and a trust member, came out in open support of Champat Rai for the first time since the controversy began. He said he sees no irregularity whatsoever in the trust's functioning and that there is no question of anyone resigning. He said all members of the trust work in complete agreement with one another and that no decision is ever taken without a collective decision of the trust. Rejecting the allegations outright, he said worship at the temple is being conducted in an orderly manner and that devotees' donations are going straight into the donation box. He added that people bent on tarnishing the trust's image will keep making allegations, but that he personally sees no irregularity. Asked specifically about reports that Champat Rai and Anil Mishra had resigned, he said he had no official information about any such thing, and made clear that even if someone had resigned, he would not consider it the right thing to do, since resignations are only warranted when a mistake has actually been made, and he does not see any mistake in the trust's functioning.\n\nPrakash Gupta, the office in-charge of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, offered a more measured take on the controversy. He said his point is a simple one, that the guilty should not go unpunished, but that no innocent person should be trapped either. He said some people who had nothing to do with the matter are being dragged into it, and that the SIT appears to be catching hold of everyone, which naturally makes people react. He acknowledged that some individuals worked at the trust selflessly, but said that once someone gets caught up in a case like this, they end up being branded a thief regardless.\n\nSIT probe widens, Avinash Shukla set to face custodial remand\nThe SIT investigating the Ram Mandir donation theft case is set to pick up pace, having already gathered a number of pieces of evidence over the past several days. In its first phase, the SIT had established that theft had indeed taken place, following which it registered an FIR and recommended a fuller investigation. In the second phase, the SIT will now audit the trust's own audit, scrutinising every single financial transaction of the trust in depth. The Yogi government has extended the SIT's deadline for completing this work, and the team is also examining possible improvements to the system used for collecting and counting donations, depositing them in the bank, and to the trust's broader administration.\n\nMeanwhile, Ayodhya police are set to take Avinash Shukla, already arrested in connection with the case, into custodial remand. An application seeking his custody for 48 hours has been filed in court by DSP Ashutosh Tiwari, the officer investigating the case, with a hearing scheduled today before the Anti-Corruption Special Court in Ayodhya. Shukla could join proceedings via video conferencing from jail, where he has already been questioned once. A raid on his house had earlier led to the recovery of Rs 20.39 lakh in cash along with $1121. During the custody remand, the police plan to take Shukla to several locations for further raids and to gather additional evidence linked to the theft. They also intend to use the remand period to map out the entire network behind the donation theft, establish the total amount of cash and jewellery stolen, examine where the stolen money was invested, and question the role played by senior trust officials and bank employees.\n\nThe family of accused Lovkush Mishra reacts\nPolice also visited the ancestral home of Lovkush Mishra, another accused named in the case. His grandmother, Girija Devi, said the police keep asking her all sorts of questions, including where the money has been kept, and said she does not know how she could possibly know anything about any money, especially since she is unwell. She said she told the police to go and investigate on their own. She insisted that her grandson was not like that, describing the entire episode as God's will, and said everything rests in God's hands and that God alone will decide the outcome. She said he always used to talk about keeping good company and staying on the right path, and maintained that he had not done anything of this sort.\n\nSecurity tightened, administration clarifies media access at the temple\nAmid a controversy over media coverage at the main entrance of the Ram temple, the security administration moved to clarify the position. SP Security Balramchari Dubey said no restriction whatsoever has been imposed on the media, and explained that entry inside the main gate has been barred purely for security reasons, while media personnel remain free to carry out their coverage as usual from up to the steel railing. Security at the temple's main entrance, located opposite Birla Dharamshala, has been reinforced with an adequate number of personnel. According to SP Dubey, all security staff have been given clear instructions to ensure that both the darshan arrangements and security continue to run smoothly. He added that there is no restriction of any kind on devotees' darshan, with all pilgrims entering the temple peacefully through the designated queue and having darshan as usual, with the overall darshan arrangement continuing to function normally, just as it did before.\n\nSecurity has also been stepped up at the trust's Teerth Kshetra Bhavan and at Karsevakpuram in connection with the donation theft case. Four sub-inspectors in plain clothes, along with one PSC squad, have been deployed for the security of Teerth Kshetra Bhavan, with two more sub-inspectors deployed there in uniform. The security cover for Champat Rai, the trust's general secretary who resides at Teerth Kshetra Bhavan, has also been increased. At the same time, media personnel have been completely barred from entering Teerth Kshetra Bhavan.\n\nCould the CBI take over the investigation?\nAccording to the Indian Express, the investigation into the Ram Mandir donation theft case could eventually be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. However, the SIT that is currently probing the matter has, for now, been given 15 more days to continue its work.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: The allegations and political sparring over the Ram Mandir Trust's donations are likely to intensify a nationwide debate over financial transparency at major temple trusts.\n• In Ayodhya: Darshan for pilgrims continues normally for now, but security restrictions on media and public entry at the main gate and Teerth Kshetra Bhavan have been tightened.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Who are the three officials advocates want an FIR against in the Ram Mandir donation theft case?\nAdvocates are demanding an FIR against trust general secretary Champat Rai, member Dr Anil Mishra and special member Gopal Rao.\n\n2. Where did the advocates lodge their complaint?\nThe Rampur police station in-charge accepted a written complaint from advocates at the Civil Line outpost, while a delegation of lawyers also went to the Ram Janmabhoomi police station to hand over a tahrir.\n\n3. How many accused have already been sent to jail in this case?\nAccording to the SIT's findings, eight accused have already been sent to jail in the matter.\n\n4. What allegations has Arvind Kejriwal made?\nKejriwal alleged major irregularities in 2021 land deals, including land worth 2 crore being resold to the trust for 18 crore within ten minutes, and claims that engineers demanded a 40 percent commission.\n\n5. What was recovered from accused Avinash Shukla's house?\nA raid on Avinash Shukla's house recovered Rs 20.39 lakh in cash and $1121.\n\n6. Has devotee darshan at the temple been affected?\nNo, SP Security Balramchari Dubey said darshan is running normally, with only media entry inside the main gate restricted for security reasons.\n\n7. Could the CBI take over the case?\nAccording to the Indian Express, that possibility exists, but the SIT currently investigating the matter has been given 15 more days.\n\n8. Who has publicly defended Champat Rai?\nTrust member Mahant Dinendra Das has openly backed Champat Rai, saying he sees no irregularity in the trust's functioning.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/uttar-pradesh/rama-mndira-dana-vivada-vakila-saraka-para-champat-rai-sameta-tina-padadhikariyon-para-ephaaiara-ki-manga-teza-4081",
  "category": "Uttar Pradesh",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-02",
  "tags": [
    "Ram Mandir donation theft",
    "Champat Rai",
    "SIT investigation",
    "Ayodhya lawyers protest",
    "Arvind Kejriwal",
    "Avinash Shukla",
    "Ram Mandir Trust"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}