{
  "id": 44267,
  "title": "Ram Temple donation theft: Congress demands Supreme Court-monitored probe",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/ram-temple-donation-theft-congress-demands-supreme-court-monitored",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-02T13:37:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ram-temple-donation-theft-congress-demands-supreme-court-monitored-probe/article71297720.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Congress leader Pramod Tiwari demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into alleged financial irregularities related to donations for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stealing the money, stating that every thief involved was from the BJP. Tiwari, who previously served as Tourism Minister in Uttar Pradesh, claimed that the corruption issue dates back to the 1980s, when the foundation stone was laid. He criticized the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to investigate the matter, calling it a \"sham\" and alleging that the head of the probe was under criminal investigation. Tiwari accused the BJP of excluding seers and saints from the Ram Mandir Trust and instead inducting individuals associated with the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's selection of every member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, suggesting he could not absolve himself of responsibility. Tiwari accused former general secretary of the temple trust Champat Rai of institutionalizing the theft and vowed that the Opposition would continue raising the issue in Parliament until an independent investigation was conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court.",
  "summary": "Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari alleges that the Ram Temple Donation scam, currently being investigated by the Uttar Pradesh Police, is not the first instance of embezzlement here, claiming the BJP has been pilfering devotees’ donations for years",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "Monsoon Session: Congress set to stall House over Ram temple donation scam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/monsoon-session-congress-set-to-stall-house-over-ram-temple-donation",
        "published": "2026-08-02T21:51:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "‘No sadhu involved’: Yogi cites SIT report in Ram Temple donation theft case as Oppn demands debate in Parliament",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/no-sadhu-involved-yogi-cites-sit-report-in-ram-temple-donation-theft",
        "published": "2026-08-04T14:50:43.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}