What the case is really about
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is at the heart of a financial storm over alleged irregularities in the temple's donation collections. On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team to examine claims of irregularities in the trust's donation money and its broader financial management. What stands out is that the inquiry was triggered from within: the SIT was set up at the request of the trust's general secretary, Champat Rai, after allegations surfaced that the donation boxes had been tampered with.
How the SIT probe has unfolded
The three-member panel first entered the Ram Mandir premises on 15 June at 2:50 pm. On day one, a total of 43 people were questioned, and the team left the Ram Janmabhoomi complex at around 11:00 pm. Its members stayed overnight in Ayodhya itself.
On the second day, a Tuesday, the focus shifted to people linked to the banking side. Roughly 32 people were questioned that day, most of them bank staff. The SIT asked the trust for a complete record of money deposited in the bank over the past three years, and separately sought documents from the bank employees as well.
The team stayed on in Ayodhya for the third day too. The investigation committee was scheduled to reach the complex at around 11 am, with questioning set to take place at the Yatri Niwas inside the Ram Mandir premises. On this day, the cash collector employees who gather money from the donation boxes were summoned, and employees of TCS, the firm handling the cash counting, were also brought into the scope of the questioning. The SIT members had again spent the previous night in Ayodhya.
Brijbhushan Sharan Singh's blunt warning
Former MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh reacted sharply to the episode. He said the matter is no longer confined to the trust alone, and that the finger is now being pointed at the central and state governments, which has come as a major jolt. He clarified that this blow had not been dealt by Vinay Katiyar or by himself, but by people connected to the trust. According to him, the way the documents are being presented makes it clear that a great deal has happened in Ayodhya, and that what happened was not good. He described Nripendra Mishra as completely innocent. Brijbhushan said, "There is no smoke without fire, and the smoke that is rising has some truth in it." He added that when it is people associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement who are raising the issue, the government should take it seriously, and that the truth would soon come before the country.
Deputy CM hits back at Akhilesh Yadav
On the other side, the Deputy CM launched a stinging attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. He said the SIT inquiry into the Ram Mandir matter is under way and that action will follow once it is complete. Advising Akhilesh Yadav, he asked where the funds collected for building the Babri Masjid had gone. In his view, making such statements about Sanatan culture amounts to appeasement by the Samajwadi Party, and Akhilesh is merely playing politics to protect his vote bank. He alleged that these are the very people who engineered riots and fired bullets on devotees of Ram, and that the people of the state would never forgive them.
Congress raises questions, demands a High Court judge probe
The Congress cornered the government over the issue. On Tuesday, the party demanded that the alleged theft of offerings be investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court and that the guilty be given strict punishment. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai alleged that the SIT inquiry is nothing more than a formality. Speaking to reporters, he said, "First the BJP-RSS people collected huge sums in the name of shilapujan at Shriramjanmabhoomi, for which there is no account whatsoever. This is theft of more than 1,400 crore rupees." He accused the BJP-RSS of stealing even the faith of the people and the offerings made to god, and of carrying out organised loot at Shriramjanmabhoomi.
Aradhana Mishra, leader of the Congress legislative party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, also targeted the BJP. She said, "The BJP has struck at the faith of people who believe in Lord Ram. These are not priests of Lord Ram, but people who do business in his name." She argued that while the donation scam has come to light only now, even earlier, at the time of land acquisition, members of the mayor's family had bought cheap land and sold it to the trust at high prices. Aradhana also recalled, "During the temple's construction, in the very first rains, a road built at a cost of crores caved in and water was dripping into the sanctum." She asked whether this was not a betrayal of those who believe in Sanatan, and alleged that the BJP has always done business in the name of Lord Ram.
The accused responds
Meanwhile, Tinnu Yadav, named as an accused in the case, released a video clarifying the source of his property. He claimed that he built his assets by driving a tempo and saving up his honorarium. His wife, too, dismissed all the allegations against him as false.
