Ram Temple Trust Sets Up Interim Panel After Donation Scam Rocks Leadership

The trust that manages the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is dealing with fallout from allegations that donation money was misappropriated during counting. This led to the resignations of its General Secretary and one of its members earlier this week.

To keep things running, the trust has now formed a temporary three-person team. It includes a retired forest service officer who will serve as the interim General Secretary, a civil engineer who worked on building the temple, and a chartered accountant. This team will specifically handle banking-related work connected to the temple's finances until the trust decides on a permanent structure at a meeting scheduled for July 22.

The controversy stems from allegations that security measures for counting donations were weakened last year during a major religious gathering, allegedly making it easier for money to be siphoned off. Investigators are looking into how a revised procedure for counting donations, introduced in February 2025, may have created loopholes.

The former General Secretary, who resigned amid the allegations, has pushed back publicly. He wrote to both the public and the investigating team, claiming he had no role in approving the revised counting procedure and suggesting other trust members and bank officials kept him uninformed about the changes.

In an unusual development, the trust's treasurer visited the former General Secretary for a lengthy meeting shortly after these letters became public. People close to the treasurer described it as a routine check on his wellbeing, while others suggested the trust wanted to address the claims made in his letters directly.

Separately, a person who used to attend trust meetings as a special guest was also removed from that role this week. He denied any involvement in the alleged scam, saying he was merely asked to step back while the situation is sorted out, and that he would help out until a new system is finalized.

Both men who stepped down have maintained that any wrongdoing was limited to how donations were handled, and that the temple's day-to-day operations were unaffected.

The interim team's job for now is narrow: keep the banking side of temple operations running smoothly. The bigger questions, including who will permanently take over leadership roles and how the trust will prevent similar issues in the future, are expected to be addressed at the upcoming July 22 meeting.