Overview
- Allegations that donations were misappropriated at the Ayodhya Ram Temple first surfaced on June 7, and the Uttar Pradesh government set up a Special Investigation Team on June 13 to examine the claims.
- The SIT has arrested eight people who worked in the temple counting room, recovered about Rs 80 lakh in cash and some jewellery, and reported repeated breaches of cash‑handling procedures and weak surveillance.
- Two senior trust functionaries, Champat Rai and Dr. Anil Mishra, resigned citing moral responsibility while investigators expand asset checks by seeking bank, land and registration records to probe disproportionate assets.
- The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has announced institutional changes including creation of a CEO post and revised banking and collection reviews, as investigators signal final reports due later this month.
- Political pressure rose sharply on July 11–12 with the Congress and others demanding a Supreme Court‑monitored judicial probe and a forensic audit, while the RSS and trust officials say they back the SIT and pledge tougher safeguards.