Lucknow, August 12, 2026

The controversy over the handling of donations for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has intensified since allegations of “Chanda Chori” emerged in June 2026. Amid political accusations and questions over the temple’s donation management, an independent external audit has reportedly found that the Rs 3,300 crore collected through public contributions for the Ram Mandir construction is fully accounted for. The audit has stated that the funds were neither stolen nor embezzled.

The audit was conducted by independent third-party auditors M/S V Sankar Aiyer & Co. The reviewed donations include Rs 1,800 crore for temple construction and Rs 400 crore for land acquisition. According to the findings, there were no cash dealings connected with these funds, while necessary transfers were carried out through established banking and financial procedures. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has also confirmed that the Rs 3,300 crore collected for the temple project was kept in a separate State Bank of India (SBI) account. Reports further said that payments for contiguous land acquired for the temple were made through direct bank-to-bank transfers from authorised accounts, without the use of cash. Sources attributed the comparatively high acquisition costs to post-verdict market rates and the settlement of commercial structures.

The allegations initially received attention from local media and acquired a political dimension on June 7, 2026, when Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav referred to reports alleging crores of rupees in unaccounted donations and sought judicial intervention. Claims were also raised over alleged collection discrepancies, the sudden accumulation of wealth by some low-paid counting staff and the possibility of missing funds. Subsequently, Opposition leaders cited different figures, including Rs 200 crore and Rs 2,000 crore, in connection with the alleged donation irregularities. In July, Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav escalated the allegation by claiming that donations and valuables worth nearly Rs 20,000 crore were involved.

“It is a Rs 20,000 crore scam with big names involved in it. People donated crores of Rupees, gold and diamonds, but today no one knows what happened,” Yadav said on 1st July. The latest independent audit, however, puts the total public donations collected for Ram Mandir construction at Rs 3,300 crore and states that the amount is fully accounted for. While allegations involving individual counting staff may remain subject to separate scrutiny, the audit's findings challenge claims of a large-scale theft or disappearance of the temple's publicly collected funds. The findings are now expected to play a significant role in the continuing political debate over the management and utilisation of Ram Mandir donations.