Source Hindustan Times
AYODHYA — The investigation into the massive financial irregularities at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple has intensified, with the Ayodhya Police moving a local court to seek the custody of key accused Avinash Shukla. This follows a major cash recovery from properties linked to him, even as the probe expands to scrutinize banking insiders.
Investigating Officer and Ayodhya Circle Officer Ashutosh Tewari filed an application before Additional District Judge (Anti-Corruption) Rajat Varma, requesting a two-day police custody remand for Shukla. Currently lodged in Ayodhya jail alongside seven other co-accused, Shukla has already undergone primary interrogation, during which he reportedly dropped the names of certain temple trust officials.
The Cash Trail: Who Holds What?
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) and local police have so far intercepted a cash trail totaling nearly ₹80 lakh (\approx ₹79.85 lakh) siphoned directly from devotee offerings. Law enforcement conducted simultaneous raids across multiple locations, uncovering cash, gold, silver, and foreign currency.
Among the eight individuals arrested, Avinash Shukla sits at the top of the recovery list.
Accused IndividualCash RecoveredAdditional Seizures / Details
Avinash Shukla₹20.40 Lakh₹12 lakh from his room, ₹8.4 lakh returned by his brother; approx. $1,121 USD.
Karunesh Pandey₹18.07 LakhRecovered during coordinated residential raids.
Anukalp Mishra₹16.82 LakhIntercepted from the cash-counting ring.
Lavkush Mishra₹14.25 LakhInvestigated additionally for a recent ₹23 lakh land deal.
Rama Shankar Mishra₹7.32 LakhPart of the internal cash reconciliation network.
Manish Yadav₹2.00 LakhTrailed through banking transactions.
Ram Shankar Yadav (‘Tinnu’)₹1.00 LakhAide to former top trust administration.
Subhash SrivastavaNo Cash FoundFacing charges for active role in the conspiracy.
Key Seizure at Yoga Centre: During the fresh rounds of raids, police recovered a localized donation box labeled “Ramrajya Kosh” outfitted with an unauthorized QR code from a yoga center where Shukla had resided for a decade.
Banking Insiders and Security Firms Under Fire
The focus of the financial audit has shifted aggressively toward systemic loopholes. At least two Grade 3 officials from the State Bank of India (SBI) are firmly under the police scanner. These employees were explicitly tasked with supervising the cash-counting sessions. Investigators assert that an embezzlement operation of this scale—estimated by opposition leaders to safely hover between ₹5 crore and ₹7.5 crore—could not have slipped past the direct supervision of bank representatives.
Furthermore, six of the eight arrested men were revealed to be on the payroll of Sainik Security Services, a Varanasi-based firm hired by SBI’s Naya Ghat branch to handle administrative and housekeeping tasks. While the agency’s management maintains they merely provided general manpower and had no control over the bank assigning cash-handling roles to these individuals, the SIT is treating the lapse as a critical breakdown of security protocols.
To trace the complete movement of funds, the Ayodhya Police have formally requested five years of extensive banking records, KYC details, and transaction histories from seven major banking institutions holding accounts related to the accused.
Fallout Inside the Sacred Complex
The political and social shockwaves of the scam continue to rock Ayodhya. High-profile figures, including the Temple Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, resigned on moral grounds following the preliminary SIT findings.
Meanwhile, the Faizabad Bar Association has passed a unanimous resolution refusing to legally represent any of the eight accused, leaving Avinash Shukla without legal counsel during his recent court appearance via video conferencing. The Bar Association has formally requested a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the entire siphoning network.
