Twenty-three employees responsible for counting donations at the Shree Ram Mandir trust resigned on Friday [1].
The mass resignation occurs as a special investigation team probes the alleged misappropriation of temple funds and just days before a Supreme Court hearing on the case.
The staff members work for the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh [2]. According to reports, the employees cited an increased workload and the implementation of new, stringent regulations as reasons for their departure [1, 3]. Some reports specify that the counting process became more time-consuming and rigorous due to a surge in 10 and 20 rupee notes [3].
This labor unrest follows a broader investigation into the trust's financial management. A special investigation team found that stolen funds were invested in stocks [1]. The scale of the alleged fraud has led to eight arrests so far [4].
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed the ongoing investigation into the misappropriated funds. "No one will be spared," Adityanath said [5].
The resignations come at a critical moment for the trust, as the legal scrutiny from the Supreme Court threatens to expose further administrative lapses. The departing staff members also reportedly demanded better working conditions amid the heightened pressure of the probe [1, 3].
“"No one will be spared,"”
The simultaneous exit of nearly two dozen counting staff suggests a breakdown in administrative stability at the trust. By resigning immediately before a Supreme Court hearing, these employees may be reacting to the increased liability and oversight accompanying the fraud investigation, while the government's hardline stance indicates a push for high-level accountability in the management of religious donations.
