The Uttar Pradesh police conducted searches at the residences of all eight accused in the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations in Ayodhya on Sunday, June 28, 2026. The police teams, accompanied by local magistrates, searched the homes of the accused, including Ramashankar Yadav, a close aide of Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Family members present at the premises were also questioned by the police.
The searches came two days after the accused were remanded to judicial custody till June 29 by a court in Ayodhya. The eight accused, associated with counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram Temple, have had ₹79.85 lakh recovered from their possession so far. The accused include Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav.
The case has sparked a war of words between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. Mr. Yadav questioned how the Chief Minister, who frequently visits Ayodhya, was not aware of the wrongdoing and corruption. In response, Mr. Adityanath accused the SP government of firing upon Ram devotees and opposing the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The Chief Minister also claimed that the SP government had stopped Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations and banned the Kanwar Yatra.
He further stated that the current government has beautified over 22 temples in Hathras, which was not possible under the Samajwadi government.
