Former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai has blamed the State Bank of India's Ayodhya branch for alleged security failures that he says led to the theft of donation money from the Ram Temple.
Rai, who stepped down from the trust's top post on moral grounds, appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged theft. During the meeting held on July 6, he submitted a written statement alleging that the bank failed to comply with the terms of its agreement with the trust.
The State Bank of India had been entrusted with the responsibility of counting donations collected at the Ram Temple.
"As per the MoU, all security measures were taken -- like CCTV cameras were installed in the counting room and a door with iron bars was installed on it. The bank advised that counting should be done by sitting on chairs and keeping the money on a table, which helped in the theft," he wrote in his statement to the SIT.
According to Rai, joint guidelines governing the counting of donations were issued in February 2025, but he alleged that the bank did not adhere to them.
He further claimed that employees were permitted to wear clothing with pockets and that no frisking was conducted while entering or leaving the counting area.
"All the banks in the country must have some rules for the chest room. The rules of the State Bank of India must be strict. Special searches while entering and exiting the counting room, clothes without pockets... In the temple's case, the bank did not follow this, despite it being written in the guidelines. The clothes provided by the bank had pockets," he claimed.
Rai also accused the bank of failing to properly enforce the required security protocols.
"Senior officials of the bank need to explain how laxity was allowed in following the rules of the chest room," he added.
He maintained that SBI had overlooked the prescribed security norms.
"Perhaps the higher officials of the bank didn't have any knowledge of this guideline letter; otherwise, the mistake would have been caught at some level," he said.
Rai further alleged that the guidelines had been prepared hastily and pointed out that he had not signed the document.
"The letter with guidelines was written in a hurry, and the bank did not follow it. The workers selected by the bank for counting were kept as housekeeping staff. Is this appropriate?" he said.
He stated that the guidelines bore the signatures of trustee Dr Anil Mishra and Govind Mishra, Chief Manager of the State Bank of India, Ayodhya branch.
"Why was my signature not taken on this letter? If I was not in Ayodhya, then they should have waited," he added.
Eight individuals associated with the donation counting process have been arrested over allegations of stealing money from the Ram Temple's donation collections. Investigators have alleged that several of the accused were leading lifestyles far beyond what their legitimate incomes would support.
After resigning from the trust on moral grounds, Rai faced demands for action against him. On Tuesday, he released a letter addressed to devotees of Lord Ram, asserting that all allegations against him are false. He has also pledged to remain silent until the SIT submits its final report.
According to the SIT's preliminary findings, investigators documented around 70 instances in which personnel involved in counting donations allegedly concealed bundles of currency notes and loose cash.
The probe team has concluded that the alleged thefts occurred because the prescribed security measures were not implemented effectively.
