‘Stealing From Temple Heinous Crime, Even Death Penalty…’: Ram Mandir Trust Member Over Donation Row
‘Stealing From Temple Heinous Crime, Even Death Penalty…’: Ram Mandir Trust Member Over Donation Row Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 11:22 IST The
‘Stealing From Temple Heinous Crime, Even Death Penalty…’: Ram Mandir Trust Member Over Donation Row Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 11:22 IST The Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues its probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple. Rapid Read He added that continued action by authorities would help prevent such incidents in the future. Ram Mandir Donation Row: As the probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya intensifies, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Mahant Dinendra Das Maharaj has called for the harshest punishment, including death penalty for those found guilty in the case. While speaking to news agency ANI, Mahant Dinendra Das welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government’s action in the case and credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for ensuring that the accused were apprehended. “The action taken by the administration is appropriate. Whatever verdict is delivered will be the right one. The Chief Minister ensured the culprits were caught, otherwise, they might never have been found." He added that continued action by authorities would help prevent such incidents in the future.
Calling for stringent punishment, the Trust member said, “If the administration continues to take action, such thefts will cease. It is right to imprison anyone found guilty in this matter; even capital punishment is warranted. Stealing from Ram Mandir is a heinous crime. Once they are imprisoned and face the gallows, everything will be set right." He also maintained that temple rituals and daily worship remain unaffected by the controversy and asserted that transparency in handling donations has been strengthened. “Worship is proceeding smoothly. Rituals are performed on time. There is complete transparency regarding donations now. No one takes any money. Anyone found guilty will be removed, and every effort will be made to penalise them," he added. Ram Mandir Donation Row The Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues its probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple. The Uttar Pradesh government recently granted the SIT a 15-day extension to widen the scope of its investigation on July 1.
On July 3, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple arrived at the temple premises to carry out further investigation in the case. An FIR was registered on June 25 after the SIT submitted the preliminary report on June 23, and eight accused were arrested. Subsequently, Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility for alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple hours after police arrested all eight people named in the FIR. Eight people associated with the temple’s donation collection and counting process have been arrested so far, while the investigation into the alleged misappropriation of devotees’ contributions is continuing. So far, investigators have recovered substantial amounts of cash from the accused, including Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, Rs 18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, Rs 16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, Rs 7.32 lakh from Ramashankar Mishra and Rs 1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu.
The BriefWire