Lucknow: Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor of Ram Temple Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, has now joined the ranks of critical voices seeking a fair and impartial probe into the allegations of financial irregularities related to the shrine in Ayodhya.
Mahant Das said he was not fully aware of all details related to the allegations, but asserted that an unbiased investigation was necessary if the claims were found to be credible. Strict action should be taken against those found guilty, he added.
“One side is making allegations against the other, while questions are also being raised over the integrity and transparency of those conducting the probe,” he said. “Anyone involved in wrongdoing should be punished.”
The mahant stated that he would seek a meeting with Yogi Adityanath to discuss the matter.
“जांच करने वाले खुद बेइमान। ये क्या करेंगे जांच?
“भगवान ही करेंगे जांच।”
श्रीराम जन्मभूमि ट्रस्ट के अध्यक्ष महंत नृत्य गोपाल दास के उत्तराधिकारी महंत कमल नयन दास का,
राम मंदिर दान चोरी पर बड़ा बयान।
“जो कभी साइकिल पर चलते थे, वे आज बड़ी-बड़ी गाड़ियों में घूम रहे हैं और आलीशान… pic.twitter.com/NuJYiMXY2J
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) June 10, 2026
From BJP strongman Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to former deputy director of the information department in Ayodhya, Murlidhar Singh, several public figures have questioned the trust over the charges that substantial sums in donations were ‘untraceable’.
“If I speak the truth, I could land in serious trouble because the people involved are very influential. We do not have the courage to speak openly right now. Perhaps when the right time comes, we will,” former MP Brij Bhushan said Thursday.
Similarly, Murlidhar Singh, who was responsible for media coordination during the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a fair and independent investigation as well.
In his letter, Singh said that reports and allegations regarding irregularities in temple donations have deeply hurt him. He then urged the Prime Minister to ensure a transparent and impartial probe so that the truth can be established and public confidence in the institution remains intact.
Text messages and calls to Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai regarding the ongoing controversy went unanswered. This article will be updated as and when a response is received.
The controversy started after a video emerged in which Mahipal Singh, who claims to be accounts in-charge at the Ram temple, alleged that he had caught members of a bank team manipulating the handling of cash donations during the counting process.
Singh further goes on to claim that irregularities in the management of donations had been occurring for a long time. According to him, he personally detected discrepancies during his tenure and reported them to authorities, but no meaningful action was taken.
Despite surveillance arrangements, Singh says, certain individuals colluded to manipulate donation amounts. Teams comprising bank employees and trust staff participated in the counting process, he adds.
He alleges that after currency bundles were counted and prepared, they were packed and, in some cases, more bundles were placed inside boxes than were officially recorded.
Singh claims that during one such instance, a box was rechecked and cash worth several lakhs of rupees beyond the recorded amount was found stashed within.
ThePrint reached him over a phone call during which Singh alleged that he was removed from his job after he alerted temple authorities about the irregularities.
“CCTV footage covering several months before his removal was unavailable,” he said, adding that he worked from 2021 to 2023.
Mahipal Singh also questioned the Ram temple trust’s handling and management of gold, silver and other valuable offerings made by devotees. Detailed records regarding their handling were not always maintained, according to him.
Meanwhile, Champat Rai defended the trust, stating that regular audits are conducted and that no irregularities have been detected so far.
“The temple’s income, donation box collections and other financial activities are subjected to internal audits. The audit process is carried out jointly by trustees and volunteers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust along with officials of the State Bank of India (SBI),” the trust’s general secretary said in a statement.
“So far, no case of misappropriation or theft of donation funds has come to light. Amid questions raised by opposition leaders and allegations of financial irregularities, the trust maintains that all its operations are being conducted with complete transparency.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
They will create fake controversies only because it is a temple.
Had it been a mosque, even a murder would have been hidden.
The money itself was from dubious sources!
Now this corruption allegation…
It has to some sangria/RSS member including the BJP government members who will be the culprit.
Nothing will come out of it or some poor innocent guy will be raided and arrested.
Given the nature of this project, the role the government itself has played in implementing it, the faith of millions of Indians being associated with it, perhaps all of its finances and accounts should be audited by the CAG.