Published Jul 02, 2026 | 3:23 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 02, 2026 | 3:23 PM
KC Venugopal (File Photo)
Synopsis: Congress leader KC Venugopal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged fraud and embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government’s Special Investigation Team was shielding those responsible and claimed the alleged fraud involved institutional complicity, ignored warnings and the destruction of CCTV footage. Venugopal said an independent probe was necessary to restore public confidence in the temple’s administration.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an immediate Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged financial fraud, theft and embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
He also alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on 13 June, followed by the FIR registered on 25 June, “appears to be little more than an eyewash”. He alleged that only “the ‘small fish’—drivers, clerks, and outsourced cashiers—have been arrested, while the institutional support and chain of command that enabled the brazen loot remain untouched.”
“The massive Chanda Chori at the Ayodhya Ram Temple has shaken the nation. Crores of innocent devotees gave their hard-earned savings in the name of Lord Rama. He who is known as ‘Maryada Purushottam’ has been misused and tarnished by those who claim to be the protectors of the Hindu faith,” Venugopal said in a post on X on Thursday, 2 July.
He further said that the Ayodhya Ram Temple “was built through a Supreme Court verdict, using public land, through a public trust set up by the Government of India,” and that “what happens in the Temple’s administration is solely the Centre’s responsibility.”
The senior Congress leader also alleged that multiple warnings about the theft had been repeatedly ignored and that “those at the helm wilfully looked the other way as crores were looted.”
The massive Chanda Chori at the Ayodhya Ram Temple has shaken the nation. Crores of innocent devotees gave their hard-earned savings in the name of Lord Rama. He who is known as ‘Maryada Purushottam’ has been misused and tarnished by those who claim to be the protectors of Hindu… pic.twitter.com/H2mUSo8Mwr
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 2, 2026
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In his letter to Modi, Venugopal said preliminary investigations had exposed “a highly organized racket operating right under the nose of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust” and alleged that “the systemic lapses at every level make it clear that this loot was enabled by institutional support.”
He noted that counting staff had bypassed surveillance to siphon off cash and jewellery daily, while “7 to 8 months of crucial CCTV footage was deliberately destroyed to cover the tracks of this criminal enterprise.” These allegations indicated, Venugopal wrote, that the alleged fraud “goes beyond the work of a few rogue employees” and was “a scam orchestrated with the complicity of the higher-ups.”
He also alleged that complaints of embezzlement and theft had either been ignored or actively suppressed. He said the Trust’s former Chief Accounts Officer had flagged alleged irregularities during 2020-21, including claims that unaccounted gold and silver ornaments were being removed, but was removed from his duties instead of being heard.
He further noted that the State Bank of India had, around three months ago, reportedly flagged irregularities in the counting of donations and recommended the removal of the staff concerned, but that these warnings were also ignored. He said these episodes revealed “a pattern of wilful indifference to safeguarding donations collected in the name of Lord Ram.”
Calling the alleged fraud “a monumental betrayal of the Hindu faith, religion, and way of life,” Venugopal said allowing such allegations to be buried, rather than impartially investigated, “would be a profound injustice” to devotees.
He urged the Prime Minister to order “a free and fair investigation by a high-level independent agency under the strict supervision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” saying it was the government’s moral responsibility to restore public confidence in the safeguarding of donations and the sanctity of the institution.
