The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the scam, asking, ‘Why the haste?’
NEW DELHI — Eight men associated with the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were sent to 14-day judicial custody on Monday in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the temple, marking the first major arrests in a case that has sparked national outrage.
Police recovered ₹79.85 lakh from seven of the eight accused after raids on their homes, said Prosecution Officer A K Verma. No cash was recovered from retired bank employee Subhash Srivastav, who supervised donation-counting shifts.
The accused include Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, the former driver of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, and six others who were engaged in counting cash donations. An FIR was registered on June 25 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed on June 13, found “blatant SOP violations” in donation management. CCTV footage was kept only 45 days instead of the mandated 180, frisking protocols were ignored, and Tinnu Yadav allegedly held keys to several donation boxes in violation of rules. The SIT recorded 70 theft incidents between April 27 and June 5 this year.
The temple, consecrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024, received ₹4,575 crore in donations up to November 2025.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said those involved “will have to face the consequences” and set a 15-day deadline for the SIT’s preliminary report.
The temple trust chief Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have resigned on moral grounds.
Court Developments
The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the scam, asking, “Why the haste?”
A vacation bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Sheel Nagu observed that there was no immediate urgency to fast-track the matter, orally noting that “heavens are not going to fall” if the plea is heard through the regular legal process. The apex court directed that the case be formally listed for a comprehensive hearing after its summer break on July 13
A separate petition sought preservation of all CCTV footage and an independent forensic audit of donations from the trust’s inception.
“Electronic evidence is unlike a stone inscription. A CCTV system does not wait for court vacations. A DVR does not respect a listing schedule. Digital payment logs and access records can be modified, migrated or deleted. Therefore, when the relief sought is preservation of evidence, postponement itself may become denial of justice,” advocate N K Goswami said after he made an unlisted oral mention before the Supreme Court bench.
Goswami said he was not seeking a final hearing, but had only requested a non-prejudicial preservation order.
Five to six serving bank employees are also under investigation for suspected conspiracy with the arrested men. Police will seek custodial remand of the accused this week.
The Whistleblower
Mahipal Singh, former supervisor of the temple trust’s accounts team, first flagged irregularities. He claims he faced death threats after raising concerns.
He alleged that siphoning had been systematically organised since 2020-21. According to his disclosures, cash-counting staff would count ₹12 lakh but record vouchers for only ₹9–10 lakh, pocketing the difference.
The complaint that triggered the FIR was filed by Krishna Mohan, a trust member, at Ram Janmabhoomi police station.
Political allegations were first raised publicly by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on June 7
Opposition leaders and initial reports allege ₹5 crore to ₹7.5 crore was misappropriated. A New Indian Express report said police sources alleged misappropriation of nearly ₹7 crore.
