Ram Temple Donation Row: SIT To Give Clean Chit To Champat Rai On Conspiracy, Blame Anil Mishra

Published 15 July 2026 · india

Ram Temple Donation Row: SIT To Give Clean Chit To Champat Rai On Conspiracy, Blame Anil Mishra Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 15

Ram Temple Donation Row: SIT To Give Clean Chit To Champat Rai On Conspiracy, Blame Anil Mishra Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 15, 2026, 11:53 IST The SIT report is said to attribute the lapses to negligence and a failure of oversight on Champat Rai's part Rapid Read The SIT report on Champat rai and Anil Mishra's roles in Ram Mandir donation case will be filed today. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged donation theft at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya is likely to submit its final report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday. According to sources, the probe has not found former Trust General Secretary Champat Rai guilty of any criminal conspiracy. However, the report is said to attribute the lapses to negligence and a failure of oversight on his part. Sources further indicated that Dr Anil Mishra has been held responsible for his role in the alleged irregularities. The findings come weeks after the donation row triggered a political and legal storm, with allegations of embezzlement of devotees’ offerings leading to multiple arrests, an SIT probe and subsequent intervention by the Supreme Court, which earlier this week directed the SIT to file a status report and also issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

According to sources, the SIT has recommended sweeping administrative reforms aimed at plugging systemic loopholes rather than merely fixing individual accountability. Among its key recommendations is a third-party audit of the temple’s donation management system to ensure greater transparency and independent scrutiny. The report has also recommended that future recruitment within the Trust should not be based on personal recommendations. Instead, appointments should be made through a transparent process with candidates selected strictly on merit for specific roles. To strengthen internal controls, the SIT has proposed tighter supervision of officials in charge of the control room and other personnel handling donation-related operations. It has also suggested that employees engaged in counting donations should be deployed on a rotational basis to minimise the possibility of collusion or misuse of authority. Another major recommendation is the strict implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the collection and counting of donations, with sources indicating that several prescribed protocols were either ignored or inadequately enforced during the period under investigation. The donation theft case came to light after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust detected discrepancies in the handling of cash offerings made by devotees and lodged a police complaint.