Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh): Two days before the Faizabad Bar Association submitted a complaint at the Ram Janmbhoomi police station, another Ayodhya-based lawyer, Rakesh Kumar Pandey, had also lodged a complaint at the Kotwali Nagar police station seeking that a first information report be registered against the Ram Mandir trustees.In his complaint, a copy of which was seen by The Wire, dated June 30 and addressed to the station house officer (SHO) at Kotwali Nagar police station in Ayodhya, Pandey wrote: “The complainant as well as several persons belonging to the Hindu samaj (community) have donated Rs 100 to the treasurer Govind Giri for the purpose of construction and renovation of the Ram Mandir. Receipts of Rs 500 were received from volunteer Subhash Srivastava.”Rs 100 receipt issued by the Ram Mandir trust, Photo: Akanksha Kumar.While the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Govind Giri, has been under the scanner of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the embezzlement of the temple funds, donation-counting-in-charge Subhash Srivastava is among the eight accused who were arrested soon after an FIR was filed on June 25, 2026.“While the Supreme Court [referring to the 2019 Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid suit] had directed that a Trust be formed comprising 15 reliable persons, members of the Trust such as secretary Champat Rai Bansal, treasurer Govind Giri, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, owing to ill-feelings, have resorted to misappropriation of ornaments and bricks made of precious stones dedicated to Lord Ram,” the complaint said. Copy of the complaint filed by advocate Rakesh Kumar Pandey, Photo: Akanksha Kumar.Advocate Pandey has further estimated that of the total wealth of the temple, estimated at around Rs 1000 crore, around Rs 200 crore has been siphoned off. He, therefore, demands that an FIR be registered against the trustees for investigation in this matter.Speaking to The Wire, Pandey, while explaining his rationale behind the complaint, said, “Whoever donated money to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust also posed faith in the trustees, considering them the custodians of Hindu faith. They [the devotees] never thought of any irregularities or corruption taking place. Ideally, some action should have been taken by the trustees on their own. There is still no clarity regarding the monthly donations received.”Advocate Rakesh Kumar Pandey, Photo: Akanksha Kumar.When this reporter visited the Kotwali Nagar police station, a police official claimed they had not received any such complaint. However, Pandey maintains that the complaint has been handed over, though no acknowledgment of receipt was provided. As reported by The Wire earlier, Faizabad Bar Association, on July 2, 2026, had filed a fourth complaint in connection with the Ram Mandir funds theft case, demanding that an FIR be filed against the trustees, namely Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao. Earlier in June, three complainants had approached the Ram Janmbhoomi police station in Ayodhya insisting the same, with former Kar Sevak Santosh Dubey and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh naming Rai specifically.If one were to consider the complaint by trust member Krishna Mohan, which formed the basis of the FIR registered on June 25, along with a complaint submitted by the Karni Sena on June 16, the total number of complaints filed in connection with the alleged embezzlement of devotee’s donations rises to six. The latest complaint by advocate Rakesh Kumar Pandey brings this tally to seven.