Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Controversy: Audit Report Reveals Shortcomings and Mismanagement

The Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation controversy took a fresh turn on Wednesday as it emerged that an audit had flagged many of these issues in 2020. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is facing intense scrutiny following allegations of financial mismanagement — with the matter reaching the Supreme Court earlier this week alongside calls for a CBI-led investigation. Controversy had erupted earlier this month after former Ayodhya MLA Pawan Pandey claimed that a significant sum — between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations — was misappropriated from the Ram Mandir.The state government had constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team on June 14 to probe the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust. The team submitted its primary report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday. The temple Trust has denied all allegations of institutional embezzlement and the SIT was reportedly formed after a formal request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The trustees maintain that all physical offerings followed secure, laid-down counting and banking procedures. According to an Indian Express report, the unnamed firm had highlighted several shortcomings and noted that there was no “systemic record” of donations. It also recommended the drafting of a systematic operating process or SOP — warning that “unprofessional staff and data management” would lead to dubious information misleading practices. “Need to devise SOP of trust for each level of transaction, data management, staff and other resources…Layer of management at the execution level is not defined and highly unprofessional… It will be difficult to control the information and establish fair practice in the present scenario,” Indian Express quoted the audit report submitted in November 2020 as saying. The publication also cited the audit report as noting that a “ systematic record (of donations) for financial reporting” was not available. The firm warned that there was “no second or third check available at any point of transaction and data entry” and stressed the need for clear accountability and structure. The allegations also gained momentum after Mahipal Singh, who claims he was the accounts in-charge at the Ram Mandir, said irregularities had been taking place in donation collections for a long time. A PTI report earlier this month noted that Singh had also named some prominent people associated with the management and alleged that he was removed after complaining about this matter. Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has also claimed that he was aware of alleged misuse and theft of donations at the Ram temple but was not in a position to reveal details. “If I speak the truth, I will get into trouble because they are very powerful people,” PTI quoted him as telling reporters in Gonda.