{
  "id": 1625002,
  "title": "Ex-Ram Temple official Champat Rai gets clean chit in donation theft case weeks after resignation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/ex-ram-temple-official-champat-rai-gets-clean-chit-in-donation-theft",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T03:36:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/exram-temple-official-champat-rai-gets-clean-chit-in-donation-theft-case-anil-mishra-ayodhya-mandir-101787023970628.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "Another accused, a former member of the trust, Anil Mishra was also found not guilty in the matter.",
  "key_points": [
    "Champat Rai and Anil Mishra cleared of donation theft charges.",
    "Special Investigating Team found irregularities in temple donation management.",
    "Temple trust received ₹82.78 crore in donations from April 2025 to February 2026."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The clean chit for Champat Rai and Anil Mishra suggests that the scrutiny they faced over alleged donation irregularities at the Ram Temple may no longer pose a threat to their reputations.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV - India News",
        "title": "Ram Temple Ex-Top Official Champat Rai Gets Clean Chit In Donation Theft Case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/ram-temple-ex-top-official-champat-rai-gets-clean-chit-in-donation",
        "published": "2026-08-18T03:25:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "Ram Temple Donation Theft Case: Champat Rai, Anil Mishra Get Clean Chit From SIT",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/ram-temple-donation-theft-case-champat-rai-anil-mishra-get-clean-chit",
        "published": "2026-08-18T03:42:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "Who stole from Ram Temple’s donation boxes? The SIT report, explained",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/who-stole-from-ram-temples-donation-boxes-the-sit-report-explained",
        "published": "2026-08-18T05:35:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}