Ayodhya Bar alleges donation theft cover-up, seeks FIR against Champat Rai

Published 2 July 2026 · india

The Faizabad Bar Association has lodged a police complaint seeking an FIR against former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, trust

The Faizabad Bar Association has lodged a police complaint seeking an FIR against former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, trust member Anil Mishra, temple official Gopal Rao and others, alleging their involvement in the alleged embezzlement of donations and valuables offered by devotees at the Ram temple. The complaint, a copy of which has been accessed by India Today, was submitted at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station after lawyers took out a protest march in Ayodhya. Read Full Story Filed by advocate Shailendra Kumar Jaiswal, the elected general secretary of the Faizabad Bar Association, the complaint contains a series of allegations against senior trust functionaries, claiming that large amounts of cash and jewellery donated by devotees were systematically stolen and that efforts were made to shield the real culprits. ALLEGATIONS OF THEFT OF DEVOTEES’ OFFERINGS In the complaint, Jaiswal states that members of the Bar Association have long been associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and many lawyers regularly contribute donations at the temple. He says the alleged theft of devotees' offerings has deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees and members of the legal fraternity. "The continuous theft of large sums of money and valuable jewellery coming into the temple donation boxes has come to light through various reports," the complaint says. The advocate alleges that Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao were directly involved in the alleged embezzlement of donations and valuables and that people close to them were deployed in the counting process, enabling the thefts.

CLAIMS OVER RECOVERED CASH One of the most serious allegations in the complaint concerns money that was allegedly recovered before the registration of the FIR. "he complaint alleges that Rs 10 lakh, purportedly linked to the donation theft, was recovered from cow dung and that Rs 58 lakh was recovered on June 5, 2026, but neither recovery was disclosed in the FIR or made public. "Neither these facts were mentioned in the FIR nor have any details regarding them been brought into the public domain," the complaint states. Jaiswal further alleges that the money had already been siphoned off and later "recovered" before the case was formally registered. QUESTIONS RAISED OVER SIT PROBE The complaint also targets the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government after the controversy erupted. According to the complaint, public outrage over the alleged theft forced the trust to support the formation of an SIT, but the move was allegedly aimed at protecting the trust's image. The complaint alleges that the SIT was not independent and that its findings were being used to shield senior functionaries. It further claims that despite allegations against Rai, Mishra and Rao, the first FIR filed in the case did not name them. Instead, the complaint alleges, other individuals were made scapegoats while the main accused were kept out of the investigation.