Organised loot’ of over ₹1,400 crore in Ram Temple donations: Congress seeks HC-monitored judicial probe

The Congress on Tuesday, 16 June, demanded a time-bound judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged misappropriation of donations received by the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, claiming that an "organised loot" of more than ₹1,400 crore had taken place.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai accused the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS of siphoning off funds donated by devotees in the name of Lord Ram.

Alleging large-scale financial irregularities, Rai said the responsibility for the alleged scam rested with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"In this case, a time-bound investigation should be conducted by a sitting judge of the High Court and strict action must be taken against those found guilty. The responsibility for this organised loot lies solely and exclusively with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Rai said.

Rai, who addressed the media along with Congress leader Aradhana Mishra Mona, alleged that the BJP and RSS had "stolen people's faith and offerings to God".

"At Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, BJP-RSS functionaries have carried out organised loot. Our demand is that the SIT complete its investigation within a week and make its findings public," he said.

Questioning the credibility of the state government's probe, Rai claimed that one of the officials appointed to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was already facing scrutiny in connection with the Mahakumbh stampede case.

"Under such circumstances, it appears that the BJP government is merely going through the motions rather than conducting a serious investigation," he alleged.

The remarks come after the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT to investigate allegations of irregularities in the handling of donations at the Ram Temple.

The panel is headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and includes Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.

The SIT has begun its inquiry and recently visited the Ram Temple complex in Ayodhya along with senior district officials.

Aradhana Mishra also accused the BJP and RSS of corruption in matters related to the temple.

"From the construction of the Shri Ram Temple complex to the offerings made by devotees, BJP-RSS has committed a scam at every stage," she alleged.

She further claimed that 1,250 'Shri Ram' inscribed stones had gone missing and said the episode had exposed how devotees' faith had been betrayed.

"The manner in which BJP-RSS has deceived those who have faith in Lord Ram now stands exposed before the country," she said.

The Ram Temple donation controversy erupted after allegations surfaced of large-scale irregularities in the handling of offerings made by devotees at the Ayodhya temple.

Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), have alleged that crores of rupees donated by devotees for the Ram Temple were misappropriated.

Notably, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai mounted a vigorous defence of the Trust, citing ongoing audits and asserting that no financial irregularities had been established. Trust chairman Nripendra Mishra, meanwhile, endorsed the SIT investigation, emphasising the need for transparency and accountability. Significantly, it was the Trust's demand for an independent probe that prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute the Special Investigation Team.