Ram Mandir Donation Theft Case: Amid the ongoing probe into the Ram Mandir donation theft case, Champat Rai, temple trust chief, and Anil Mishra, another trustee, have resigned from their posts on Friday. Their resignation came a day after the Uttar Pradesh police arrested the eight individuals named in the FIR lodged at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station. Police had lodged the FIR following recommendations made in the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the UP government.

Eight Accused Arrested 

While confirming the arrest, a senior official stated that the accused have been arrested and have also been questioned for details. "All eight persons named in the FIR have been arrested and are being questioned as part of the investigation," senior officials were quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

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The SIT, in its initial findings, found serious irregularities in the management, accounting and monitoring of offerings from devotees. The complaint was filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, who was inducted into the trust in September 2025 following the death of former trustee Kameshwar Chaupal.

'Strict Action Will Be Taken'

Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sated that action will be taken based on the SIT report, adding that the people behind the conspiracy will not be spared. "Ayodhya is a symbol of the faith of all of us and of Sanatan Dharma. Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya. Learn to uphold the dignity of Lord Ram. We had said an SIT had been constituted and that action would begin as soon as its report was received," Adityanath said.

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Timeline Of The Case:

- June 7: Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Pawan Pandey alleged theft of Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore from donation boxes and offerings at the Ram Temple. Akhilesh Yadav later raised the issue of the alleged donation theft in a post on X (formerly Twitter) at 7 PM

- June 8: Champat Rai stated that all the allegations were baseless, adding that the trust has the record of all the donations. Later on the same day, temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra arrived in Ayodhya and returned the next day

- June 10: The Prime Minister's Office sought a detailed report from the trust. Mishra again arrived in Ayodhya and held a four-hour meeting with the senior members of the trust

- June 11: A video of former Ram Mandir Trust accountant Mahipal Singh went viral, claiming he detected theft in 2021-2022, but the footage was later deleted

- June 13: An SIT was formed to investigate the matter

- June 15: The SIT took information from Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, and member Gopal Rai

- June 16: The team questioned Champat Rai and Gopal Rai for four hours each. They examined the trust's documents of the past 11 months

- June 17: The investigation team questioned bank officials and representatives of the private agency involved in counting the notes

- June 19: Champat Rai, Dr Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rai were questioned separately by the SIT. The branch manager and cashier of the State Bank of India were also questioned on the same day

- June 23: The SIT submitted its 20-page preliminary report to the Home Department. Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Prasad on Tuesday

- June 25: FIR was registered against the eight accused, later they were arrested

- June 26: Champat Rai, Anil Mishra resign from their posts