The Crossbill News Desk
The financial controversy surrounding the management of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has intensified, with the newly appointed interim general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust holding the State Bank of India (SBI) responsible for alleged lapses that may have contributed to financial irregularities.
Krishna Mohan, who took charge as interim general secretary, said the Trust was examining its relationship with the public sector lender following allegations of embezzlement involving temple offerings.
He said the Trust also maintains accounts with Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank, but alleged that the problems were specific to SBI.
“We have accounts with Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and the SBI. The problem is with SBI only. They didn’t perform their duty properly. They lacked a sense of responsibility, leading to financial irregularities at the shrine. We are reviewing our ties with the SBI before taking a final decision on whether we should terminate our agreement with them,” said Mohan after a meeting on Wednesday (July 22), reported The Telegraph.
Mohan, however, declined to elaborate on the alleged theft, saying the Trust was awaiting the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the matter.
“We didn’t discuss the theft in detail at the meeting because the SIT has not yet submitted its report,” said Mohan.
According to The Telegraph, an unnamed SBI official said the employees of an outsourcing agency who were deployed in the temple's vault room to count offerings had been selected based on recommendations from members of the Trust.
“Technically, those eight employees who were arrested on the charge of stealing cash and jewellery from the temple were among those hired by SBI following its agreement with the trust. But in reality, the trust members had given us those names and asked us to enrol them with the outsourcing company and hire them for the job,” the SBI official told The Telegraph.
The allegations have brought renewed scrutiny to the procedures governing the handling and counting of cash and other offerings made by devotees.
In his submission to the SIT, former Trust general secretary Champat Rai had earlier claimed that he had not approved the guidelines issued in February 2025 for the counting of cash at the temple.
Rai had also blamed the bank for the procedures, alleging that its recommendation to count the funds while seated at a table had created conditions that facilitated the alleged theft.
The controversy has also led to changes within the temple Trust. Rai and Anil Mishra resigned as members amid allegations of financial irregularities and lapses in the process of counting offerings made by devotees.
The dispute over the handling of temple donations has become a politically sensitive issue, drawing criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and prompting demands for greater transparency in the management of funds donated by devotees. With the SIT's report still awaited, the Trust's decision on its future relationship with SBI is likely to depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
Krishna Mohan, who took charge as interim general secretary, said the Trust was examining its relationship with the public sector lender following allegations of embezzlement involving temple offerings.
He said the Trust also maintains accounts with Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank, but alleged that the problems were specific to SBI.
“We have accounts with Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and the SBI. The problem is with SBI only. They didn’t perform their duty properly. They lacked a sense of responsibility, leading to financial irregularities at the shrine. We are reviewing our ties with the SBI before taking a final decision on whether we should terminate our agreement with them,” said Mohan after a meeting on Wednesday (July 22), reported The Telegraph.
Mohan, however, declined to elaborate on the alleged theft, saying the Trust was awaiting the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the matter.
“We didn’t discuss the theft in detail at the meeting because the SIT has not yet submitted its report,” said Mohan.
According to The Telegraph, an unnamed SBI official said the employees of an outsourcing agency who were deployed in the temple's vault room to count offerings had been selected based on recommendations from members of the Trust.
“Technically, those eight employees who were arrested on the charge of stealing cash and jewellery from the temple were among those hired by SBI following its agreement with the trust. But in reality, the trust members had given us those names and asked us to enrol them with the outsourcing company and hire them for the job,” the SBI official told The Telegraph.
The allegations have brought renewed scrutiny to the procedures governing the handling and counting of cash and other offerings made by devotees.
In his submission to the SIT, former Trust general secretary Champat Rai had earlier claimed that he had not approved the guidelines issued in February 2025 for the counting of cash at the temple.
Rai had also blamed the bank for the procedures, alleging that its recommendation to count the funds while seated at a table had created conditions that facilitated the alleged theft.
The controversy has also led to changes within the temple Trust. Rai and Anil Mishra resigned as members amid allegations of financial irregularities and lapses in the process of counting offerings made by devotees.
The dispute over the handling of temple donations has become a politically sensitive issue, drawing criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and prompting demands for greater transparency in the management of funds donated by devotees. With the SIT's report still awaited, the Trust's decision on its future relationship with SBI is likely to depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
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