The departures have reduced the donation-counting workforce from more than 40 people to about a dozen, placing additional pressure on the remaining staff. Employees cited longer shifts, heavier workloads, curtailed leave and concerns over changes to their pay and working conditions after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust introduced stricter cash-handling procedures.
The Trust has intensified surveillance and screening at the counting centre following allegations that cash offerings were systematically diverted. Revised protocols include compulsory security checks, pocketless uniforms, police verification, QR-enabled identity cards and closer digital tracking of personnel entering restricted areas.
Officials are also reviewing CCTV coverage, access permissions and the movement of cash between donation boxes, counting rooms and bank collection points. The changes are intended to close gaps that investigators believe allowed money to be removed without immediate detection.
Eight people have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft, including individuals with links to the temple’s donation-handling arrangements. Nearly ₹80 lakh has been recovered, while investigators are examining about 50 bank accounts belonging to the accused and their relatives to identify possible transfers or unexplained deposits.
The Special Investigation Team is studying attendance records, security logs, banking documents and surveillance footage. Its inquiry is expected to determine whether the suspected theft involved isolated acts or a wider network operating over an extended period.
The Trust has not officially established the total amount allegedly stolen. Investigators have examined claims that several lakh rupees may have been removed on busy days, although the final scale of any loss will depend on a forensic reconciliation of donations, deposits and internal accounts.
The resignations follow a wider leadership shake-up. The Trust accepted the departures of general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra on July 6. Krishna Mohan, a former forest service officer who was inducted as a trustee, was appointed interim general secretary.
A committee has also been formed to identify candidates for a newly created chief executive position. The proposed CEO is expected to oversee professional administration, financial controls, security coordination and visitor management, reducing the Trust’s dependence on informal arrangements centred on individual office-bearers.
The overhaul extends beyond donation accounting. Plans under consideration include restructuring the systems for darshan, VIP passes, employee access, security deployment and coordination among the Trust, police and district administration. Digital identities associated with former senior functionaries have been deactivated as part of the review of access privileges.
The Trust has faced pressure to demonstrate greater transparency because of the vast sums associated with the temple. Its disclosed accounts show that ₹3,264 crore has been collected through fundraising and corpus contributions since its formation in 2020. About ₹2,370 crore has been used for construction and other capital expenditure.
Offerings made by devotees totalled ₹582 crore up to March 31, 2026, with ₹391 crore used for operational expenses. The Trust has also reported holdings of more than 32 kilograms of gold and about 1.52 tonnes of silver received through donations.
The scale of those assets has strengthened demands for independent auditing, stronger institutional safeguards and public disclosure of financial procedures. Opposition parties have called for the Trust to be reconstituted and for the investigation to be monitored by the Supreme Court or transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Petitions seeking an independent and time-bound inquiry, along with a forensic audit of temple funds, are due to be heard by the Supreme Court on July 13. The case has acquired political significance ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, with the temple closely associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideological and electoral campaign.
The Trust has backed the investigation while rejecting claims that donated gold, silver or other valuables are unaccounted for. Its chairman, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, described the alleged misconduct as a grave breach of devotees’ faith and supported stronger safeguards.
