Ram Temple Donation Theft Case: Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, Gopal Rao among 133 witnesses named by SIT

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has named 133 witnesses, including former Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust office-bearers Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, in its chargesheet against eight accused in the Ram Temple donation theft case. Rai, who served as the Trust’s general secretary, and Mishra, a member, resigned following the allegations.

Other witnesses include Trust member Krishna Mohan, who filed the original complaint, Gopal M Nagarkatte, or Gopal Rao, a frequent invitee to Trust meetings, and several local residents and police personnel. The chargesheet, spanning around 74,000 pages, was filed before a local court in Ayodhya. The investigation began when a video and written message were sent to Rai while he was traveling by train from Delhi to Ayodhya on June 4, informing him about cash found in the bathroom of the counting room.

Subsequent videos allegedly showed Trust staff removing donation money during counting. The eight accused, all in judicial custody, face charges of criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Police recovered Rs 79.8 lakh from seven of the eight arrested men, but no cash or valuables were retrieved from Subhash Srivastav.