The State Bank of India recommended replacing the Ram Temple's cash-counting staff three months before a major donation embezzlement case came to light. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust reportedly blocked the removal. A subsequent state SIT probe exposed massive security lapses, leading to eight arrests and top-tier resignations.
AYODHYA — The State Bank of India (SBI) formally recommended the wholesale removal and replacement of the cash-counting staff deployed at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya three months before an alleged multi-crore donation embezzlement scandal was exposed. According to official bank and investigative sources on June 29, 2026, the national lender had flagged highly suspicious activities inside the temple's central donation-counting arena. However, the planned terminations were abruptly halted after senior functionaries within the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust intervened to shield the outsourced workers. This revelation adds substantial regulatory pressure to an escalating financial probe that has already led to high-profile institutional resignations.
Early Audits Flagged Systemic Vulnerabilities
Operational logs indicate that the State Bank of India (SBI), which manages the primary treasury operations for the shrine, noticed significant discrepancies during daily currency audits. The bank had outsourced the localized manual counting duties to a specialized third-party agency, employing local personnel on monthly salaries ranging between ₹12,000 and ₹15,000.
A preliminary internal review by the bank indicated that funds were actively being siphoned directly from the primary donation collection boxes. While the outsourcing firm moved to replace the flagged personnel, officials belonging to the temple administration halted the corrective action, allowing the compromised team to remain in control of the daily monetary inflows.
Special Investigation Team Exposes Severe Security Lapses
The scale of the financial manipulation widened dramatically following an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh state government. The preliminary findings, which forced the police to file a formal First Information Report (FIR), outlined gross operational failures at the Ayodhya facility:
Absence of Mandatory Uniforms: Staff members performed high-volume currency counts in casual civilian attire rather than standard pocketless security uniforms.
Flawed Screening Protocols: Personnel entered and left secure vaults without undergoings physical frisking or rigorous metal detector checks.
Unmonitored Surveillance Zones: Large sums of domestic and foreign currency were allegedly pocketed directly in front of unmonitored Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras.
Following the formal presentation of the SIT report, local police executed coordinated raids, arresting eight key individuals and recovering approximately ₹80 lakh in stolen cash alongside batches of foreign denominations.
Political and Institutional Aftershocks
The disclosure that early banking warnings were actively bypassed has triggered severe institutional fallout in Ayodhya. Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, has submitted his formal resignation alongside senior trustee Anil Mishra.
Concurrently, the Faizabad Bar Association enacted an extraordinary resolution, declaring a total blockade against the accused. The legal body announced that none of its member lawyers would provide legal representation to the arrested individuals, imposing a ₹5 lakh penalty on any practitioner who violates the mandate.
Official Sources Section
The material facts, timelines, and investigative actions detailed in this report are compiled from:
Official case filings and arrest updates published by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Preliminary compliance reviews and internal source disclosures from the State Bank of India (SBI) Ayodhya regional division.
Formal press briefings delivered by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) media desk.
Institutional resolutions passed by the Faizabad Bar Association general body.
Quote Section
"Three months ago, the SBI had recommended that those posted at the counting centre be removed. Who has been protecting them?" stated All India Congress Committee Media Chairman Pawan Khera during a press conference in Raipur.
"According to officials familiar with the Special Investigation Team's operational brief, the initial loop of theft went unchecked because private outsourced staff were hired without basic background verifications."
Why It Matters
For millions of global devotees and financial donors, the breach undermines the perceived transparency of religious philanthropic trusts. The development carries profound practical implications for institutional banking protocols, demonstrating that corporate fraud safeguards remain ineffective if external administrative bodies override compliance warnings. As a result, public sectors are demanding that large-scale religious trusts transition to fully automated, high-security currency sorting technology managed exclusively by permanent, verified banking executives rather than low-wage outsourced contractors.
Key Facts at a Glance
Early Warning: SBI officially warned the temple trust and requested the immediate removal of cash-counting staff three months before the public scandal broke.
Administrative Intervention: Senior trust officials overrode the bank's recommendation, keeping the suspicious outsourced workers on active duty.
SIT Action: A Special Investigation Team uncovered severe security flaws, including a total lack of physical frisking and counting performed in casual clothes.
Arrests and Recoveries: Eight individuals have been taken into custody, with investigators recovering nearly ₹80 lakh in cash along with foreign currency.
Leadership Resignations: Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have offered their resignations amid the expanding criminal inquiry.
FAQ Section
Q1: Why did the State Bank of India request the removal of the cash-counting staff? A1: SBI compliance officers detected clear operational irregularities and suspected that funds were being systematically siphoned from the primary temple donation boxes during the daily counting cycles.
Q2: Who was responsible for hiring the workers involved in the cash-counting operations? A2: The cash-counting duties were outsourced by the bank to a private security agency, which hired local individuals at monthly salaries of ₹12,000 to ₹15,000, allegedly without completing mandatory police verification checks.
Q3: What actions has the local legal community taken against the accused? A3: The Faizabad Bar Association has unanimously voted to boycotte the accused, banning all local lawyers from representing them in court under the threat of a ₹5 lakh fine.
Source: State Bank of India (SBI), Press Trust of India (PTI) reports, and the Uttar Pradesh Police Department Investigative Briefings.
