Supreme Court Allows Petitioners to Assist in Ram Temple Embezzlement Trial
The Supreme Court has permitted petitioners to assist the trial court in the Ayodhya Ram temple donation embezzlement case after Uttar Pradesh confirmed a chargesheet was filed by its Special Investigation Team.
The Supreme Court has allowed petitioners, including the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Case Trust, to assist the trial court as victims in the criminal proceedings concerning the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple. The court disposed of multiple petitions on November 2, 2026, after the Uttar Pradesh government informed it that a chargesheet had already been filed by a state Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Chargesheet filed by Uttar Pradesh SIT
The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, closed the pleas seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe upon noting the state's submission. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, confirmed the SIT had filed its chargesheet on or before September 25, 2026. The court clarified it expressed no opinion on the merits of the allegations and directed that proceedings continue before the local magistrate in Ayodhya.
Investigation details and financial trail
The SIT's investigation traced the alleged misappropriation, which occurred during the counting of money at the temple. Officials stated that those involved in counting allegedly took funds and invested them in properties or deposited them elsewhere. Investigators established a financial trail using CCTV footage, financial records, and witness statements. The SIT report noted 105 instances of unauthorized currency removal captured on CCTV. Initially, only 48 hours of footage was available, but the probe team successfully traced how and where the purloined money was used. The statements of 173 witnesses were recorded.
Verification of temple donations and assets
A verification process was conducted on valuable articles donated to the temple. Receipts for 803 articles were verified and their records were found with the Temple Trust, with no discrepancies. A further 86 valuable articles, for which no receipts were issued, were separately identified and physically verified. The investigation also examined relevant Standard Operating Procedures and records relating to the counting, handling, security, and reconciliation of donations.
Regarding physical assets, a significant quantity of white metal, presumed to be silver, was sent for processing. The alleged donations included various silver items.
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| White metal sent for melting | 944.411 kg |
| Silver bricks | 200 kg |
| Silver bricks | 38.288 kg |
| Other items (silver necklace, Charan Paduka, Ramcharitmanas donation) | Not quantified |
Accused and case scope
The First Information Report named eight individuals-Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu-along with other unidentified persons as accused. The Supreme Court separately declined to reopen any land title questions related to the Ram temple, refusing a fresh plea to determine if the temple stands on land adjudicated in the main Ayodhya dispute case. The court directed the local magistrate to examine the embezzlement allegations in accordance with the law.
