The alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has brought serious deficiencies in the management of one of India’s largest religious cash collection exercises into sharp focus even as investigators allege that institutional safeguards failed despite the temple receiving ₹82.78 crore in offerings within 11 months and administering trust funds worth thousands of crores.
A comparison with three of Uttar Pradesh’s largest temple trusts—Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan—shows that all three have institutionalised stronger systems of financial accountability, including magistrate-supervised counting, CCTV-monitored cash handling, documented audit trails, collective oversight and prompt banking of donations.
The comparison assumes significance after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the alleged embezzlement, concluded in its preliminary findings that the suspected fraud reflected systemic failures in cash handling, security protocols and institutional oversight, not merely individual misconduct.
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Financial records placed before the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s executive committee on March 21 show devotees donated ₹82.78 crore between April 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. Of this, ₹54.79 crore came through donation boxes, ₹18.88 crore through cash counters, ₹8.33 crore via online transfers and ₹78 lakh under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
During the same period, the Trust earned ₹138.03 crore as interest on bank deposits, bringing its total income to ₹220.81 crore. Officials informed the executive committee that nearly ₹2,100 crore remained invested in fixed deposits after construction expenditure.
Against this backdrop, investigators say the alleged deficiencies in cash management become even more significant.
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According to the SIT, cash collected from around 40 donation boxes passed through multiple manual stages—from collection and transportation to sorting, counting, bundling, sealing and eventual bank deposit—without adequate segregation of duties or independent verification.
Investigators also questioned alleged violations of standard operating procedures, including the failure to enforce mandatory pocketless uniforms for personnel handling cash. The probe further questioned why frisking of cash handlers was assigned to a private security agency instead of police or another government security force.
The SIT also flagged shortcomings in electronic surveillance. Although CCTV cameras were installed, monitoring was allegedly ineffective and footage was automatically overwritten after 45 days, depriving investigators of potentially crucial evidence. Investigators cited weak documentation, inadequate audit mechanisms, verbal operational instructions, diffused supervisory responsibilities and poor reconciliation between counted cash and bank deposits.
In contrast, Uttar Pradesh’s other major temple trusts have evolved multiple layers of financial safeguards.
“The 56 donation boxes at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple are opened twice every week under the direct supervision of a sub-divisional magistrate. Counting takes place under continuous CCTV surveillance in the presence of bank officials and an independent retired gazetted officer. Every transaction is documented, deposit receipts create a complete audit trail, precious metals are valued before being deposited in the government treasury and online donations are credited directly into the Trust’s bank account,” said S Rajalingam, chairman of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust Board and Varanasi divisional commissioner.
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At Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, donations are accepted through three permanently manned receipt counters operating under CCTV surveillance.
“Cash is counted almost every day by designated employees, jewellery is secured in a high-security strong room and digital donations are credited directly into bank accounts, minimising manual handling,” said Kapil Sharma, secretary of the Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan.
At the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, donation management is overseen by a high-powered committee constituted under Supreme Court directions and headed by a retired Allahabad high court judge. Donation boxes are opened only once every month in the presence of the local SDM and committee members under CCTV surveillance before collections are deposited into authorised bank accounts.
Arvind Kumar Jain, retired Uttar Pradesh director general of police, said the alleged embezzlement highlighted the need for stronger institutional safeguards at organisations handling massive public donations.
“When an institution of such national importance enjoys enormous public influence, local administrative and police authorities are naturally hesitant to interfere in its day-to-day functioning without a specific complaint or direction. That makes preventive institutional oversight even more critical,” he emphasised.
“Institutions handling such huge volumes of public donations cannot depend solely on individual integrity. Whenever large amounts of public money are involved, transparency must be ensured through multiple layers of supervision, independent verification, regular audits and clearly defined accountability. Strong systems protect both devotees’ faith and the institution’s credibility,” he added.
“The governance models followed at Kashi Vishwanath, Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Banke Behari temples demonstrate that structured cash-handling protocols, independent supervision and multi-tier verification substantially reduce opportunities for irregularities. Every major religious institution handling public donations should aspire to such standards,” he stated.
Requesting anonymity, a retired IAS officer said governance standards at institutions handling large public funds should be comparable to those followed by major public bodies.
“Where public faith and substantial financial resources converge, robust internal controls become indispensable. Clear segregation of responsibilities, digital documentation, continuous surveillance, periodic audits and independent oversight are essential to prevent irregularities rather than merely detect them after the event,” he said.
Officials associated with the investigation said several safeguards routinely followed at Kashi, Mathura and Vrindavan, including magistrate supervision, collective accountability, documented audit trails, secure custody of valuables, transparent counting procedures and prompt bank deposits, were either allegedly weak or absent in the Ram temple’s donation management system.
