Ayodhya : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has filed a chargesheet against eight accused. Former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra general secretary Champat Rai, former trustee Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao have not been named as accused and have been listed as witnesses in the case.
The chargesheet details the alleged theft of cash offerings from the temple’s counting process, CCTV footage, cash recoveries, bank transactions and witness statements. Reports on the filing put the total chargesheet and annexures at tens of thousands of pages.
How the Alleged Theft Came to Light
According to the chargesheet, the alleged theft was first detected on June 3, when counting staff member Madan Gopal Nigam reportedly saw Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Anukalp Mishra and Lav Kush Mishra hiding bundles of currency.
Another incident came to light on June 4, when counting staff member Sant Prasad Verma allegedly caught Avinash Shukla stealing. Following complaints from the two counting staff members, checking was started at the exit gate.
During the checking, police said ₹2.25 lakh allegedly taken from the offerings was hidden in a bathroom and later recovered during a search.
Champat Rai Listed as Witness
The chargesheet states that Champat Rai was informed about the alleged theft on the night of June 4 while he was travelling to Ayodhya from Delhi by train.
According to the investigation, videos related to the incident were sent to him. After reaching Ayodhya on June 5, Rai met Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao at Karsevakpuram, where CCTV footage related to the alleged theft was shown on a laptop.
The chargesheet records Rai’s statement regarding the information he received and the CCTV footage shown to him. He was subsequently listed as a witness rather than an accused.
The chargesheet also refers to a statement issued by Rai on June 7, in which he had said that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra undergoes periodic internal audits involving representatives of the trust and the State Bank of India.
SIT Investigation and FIR
The Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT on June 13 to investigate the allegations. The SIT submitted its preliminary report on June 23.
An FIR was subsequently registered on June 25, 2026, based on a complaint by Krishna Mohan.
The investigation later identified multiple alleged instances of unauthorised removal of cash through CCTV footage. The Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that 105 such instances had been identified in the CCTV review.
Eight Accused Named in Chargesheet
The chargesheet names the eight arrested persons as accused in the case. They include Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Yadav, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav.
The investigation used CCTV footage to examine the alleged activities of the accused. According to the details cited in the chargesheet, Avinash Shukla was allegedly seen stealing cash 85 times and assisting in four other instances.
Karunesh Pandey was allegedly seen stealing twice and helping in 68 instances. Manish Yadav was allegedly involved in 16 instances of theft and 19 instances of assisting in theft between April 15 and June 3, 2026.
Lav Kush Mishra was allegedly seen stealing once and helping in 52 instances, while Anukalp Mishra was allegedly seen helping in 56 instances. Ramashankar Mishra was allegedly seen stealing once.
Retired Bank Employee Also Named
The chargesheet also alleges the involvement of retired bank employee Subhash Srivastava in the theft. Investigators said he helped Avinash Shukla in alleged thefts on May 25 and May 30.
According to the police investigation, security guards did not properly check the accused while they entered or left after Srivastava’s intervention.
Srivastava had retired on January 7, 2022, and had been entrusted with depositing offerings collected from donation boxes into the bank.
₹79.85 Lakh Recovered
According to the investigation, police recovered approximately ₹79.85 lakh from seven of the eight arrested accused. The investigation also examined the financial trail and bank deposits linked to the accused.
The chargesheet has been filed against the eight accused before the anti-corruption court in Ayodhya. Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao have been listed as witnesses rather than accused.
The chargesheet represents the investigating agency’s allegations and findings; it does not by itself establish the guilt of the accused, which will be determined through the judicial process.
