Mishra’s intervention has sharpened scrutiny of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust at a sensitive moment for one of the country’s most prominent religious institutions. The controversy centres on allegations that donations and offerings made by devotees were mishandled, with investigators examining cash-counting procedures, staff responsibility, record-keeping and the chain through which money moved from collection points to official custody.
The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team to examine the allegations. The panel is led by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and includes Lucknow range inspector general Kiran S and finance department special secretary Neel Ratan. The team has been asked to establish whether the alleged irregularities were the result of theft, weak procedures, collusion or administrative negligence.
Mishra, a former principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chairman of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Construction Committee, said the present system was inadequate for an institution handling offerings on such a large scale. He has favoured the appointment of a full-time chief executive officer to supervise day-to-day administration and formalise responsibility across departments. He has also argued that the temple’s operations are comparable in complexity to those of a small district, requiring professional systems rather than informal arrangements.
The controversy widened after claims surfaced that several crores of rupees in donations may have gone missing. Police action and questioning have focused on those involved in counting and handling cash offerings. Investigators have examined CCTV footage, bank records, personnel deployment and internal registers. A 44-member counting team has come under preliminary scrutiny, with questions being raised over who authorised appointments, who supervised the process and whether standard operating procedures were followed.
The matter took a sharper turn after cash, estimated between ₹10 lakh and ₹12 lakh, was recovered from the residence of a temple employee in the Rudauli area of Ayodhya. That recovery intensified public concern and drew political attention, although investigators have not yet completed their findings. The Trust has maintained that a probe is necessary to bring out the truth and counter misinformation, while opposition parties have demanded greater transparency and, in some cases, a judicial investigation.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said those found guilty will not be spared, while urging restraint until the probe is completed. His remarks came as political parties traded charges over the issue, with the Samajwadi Party, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party seeking wider accountability from the Trust and those responsible for temple administration. Some opposition leaders have also raised questions about whether the current probe mechanism is sufficient for a case involving public faith and large donations.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was set up in 2020 following the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict to oversee construction and management of the temple. The Trust was designed as an autonomous body with authority over temple construction and related decisions. The shrine was consecrated on January 22, 2024, and has since drawn large numbers of devotees, increasing the administrative burden on systems originally framed during the construction phase.
Mishra’s call for an overhaul points to a shift from construction-led oversight to permanent institutional management. The proposed reforms include clearer staff hierarchy, daily accounting of offerings, stronger audit trails, regulated access to donation boxes, CCTV-backed monitoring and separation of duties between collection, counting, recording and deposit. A model closer to large temple boards such as Tirupati has been discussed as a possible framework for professionalising operations.
The allegations have also exposed a larger governance challenge facing high-donation religious institutions: how to balance faith-based administration with modern compliance standards. Cash offerings, jewellery, digital transfers and donor records require different control systems. Without routine audits, independent verification and strict personnel checks, even minor lapses can quickly erode public confidence.
