Ex-Ram Temple official Champat Rai gets clean chit in donation theft case weeks after resignation
Another accused, a former member of the trust, Anil Mishra was also found not guilty in the matter.
Former Ram Temple general secretary Champat Rai and trust member Anil Mishra have been cleared of charges related to a donation theft investigation, according to the Special Investigating Team. The two had resigned from their positions on June 27 amid ongoing scrutiny into alleged irregularities involving temple donations. The controversy arose on June 7 when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan 'Pawan' Pandey alleged donations worth ₹5 crore to ₹7.5 crore were stolen from temple offerings.
The state government formed the Special Investigating Team on June 13 at the request of the temple trust. The team, led by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and others, conducted an initial inquiry from June 15 to 20, examining the entire donation management system. Sources say the SIT found evidence of irregularities in cash handling, counting, storage, accounting, access controls, and CCTV surveillance.
The Ram Temple Trust, established after the 2019 Supreme Court verdict, received ₹82.78 crore in donations from April 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026.
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