IndiaPosted at: Oct 27 2026 12:03PM


Congress seeks SC-supervised probe into Ram Temple trust donations, cites audit warnings

New Delhi, Oct 27 (UNI) Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, on Tuesday, demanded an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court into alleged financial and administrative irregularities at the Ram temple trust in Ayodhya, questioning why warnings reportedly issued by an audit firm in 2020 had not led to corrective action.
In a post on the social media platform X, Ramesh called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to break their silence, asking who was responsible for the alleged wrongdoing and whether influential individuals had been shielded from scrutiny.
“The country wants to know who the donation thieves are and who their accomplices are,” he said, demanding an impartial investigation under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
Ramesh cited an internal audit and risk management assessment reportedly submitted by a private audit firm in November 2020, months after the trust was established on February 5 that year.
According to the Congress leader, the assessment flagged several shortcomings in the trust’s functioning, including an unclear division of responsibilities, the absence of a systematic mechanism for recording donations, inadequate verification of transactions and data entries, and a shortage of qualified personnel for accounting and bank reconciliation.
The audit firm had also reportedly pointed to the absence of a dedicated human resources department despite the trust having thousands of employees. It raised concerns about arrangements for securing and verifying data maintained by the trust’s information technology company, warning that unprofessional management and poor data handling could lead to inaccurate information and misleading reports, Ramesh said.
The firm had recommended standard operating procedures for financial transactions, data management and staff responsibilities, along with proper stock registers for valuable offerings such as jewellery. Ramesh questioned why these recommendations had allegedly not been implemented, arguing that the reported deficiencies raised serious questions about the safeguards governing donations made by devotees.
The Congress leader also referred to findings attributed to a government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), alleging that cash had been removed from a counting room on 105 occasions, with employees standing in front of CCTV cameras and obstructing their view.
He questioned how such incidents could allegedly have occurred despite the earlier audit warnings and demanded that investigators establish whether the episodes involved individual employees or reflected wider failures of supervision and accountability.
Ramesh further cited allegations by Dinanath Verma, an engineer associated with the temple’s construction, who reportedly claimed that he had informed trust secretary Champat Rai that contractors were being charged commissions of 40 per cent, fictitious workers were being shown on employment rolls and construction material quantities were being inflated in bills. According to Verma’s account, he was removed from his position instead of action being taken on his complaints.
The Congress leader also alleged that the investigation had uncovered dozens of valuable items donated to the trust for which receipts had not been issued. He asked why the audit warnings had not prompted corrective measures, why the engineer who reportedly raised concerns had been removed and why adequate documentation had allegedly not been maintained for valuable offerings.
Questioning the adequacy of the SIT investigation, Ramesh argued that action against a few employees would not be sufficient to establish accountability if senior officials or other influential individuals had also been involved. He called for a comprehensive examination of the audit findings, the alleged irregularities in construction contracts, the handling of cash and the accounting of donations and valuables.
In a pointed political attack, Ramesh questioned the vigilance of those associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, invoking the slogan “Main Bhi Chowkidar” to ask whether the alleged lapses reflected negligence or whether individuals had deliberately been protected. He maintained that the allegations warranted a thorough and independent examination rather than conclusions based solely on action against a few employees.
The Congress has demanded that the proposed investigation establish the extent of the alleged financial irregularities, examine whether the audit recommendations were acted upon and identify the responsibility of everyone involved. Ramesh said the findings should be made public and those found guilty punished in accordance with the law.
The controversy centres on donations and offerings made by devotees in the name of Lord Ram, placing transparency, financial oversight and accountability at the heart of the allegations. Ramesh argued that religious faith could not be a reason to avoid scrutiny and called for answers on why the reported warnings were allegedly ignored and whether the existing investigation had adequately examined the conduct of those in positions of authority.
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