Restore the faith, recover the trust

Ayodhya's Ram temple is a monument to faith, not a case study in financial scandal. Yet, the unfolding investigation into alleged embezzlement of donations - now widening to include bank officials and trust members - has cast a shadow over one of India's most symbolically charged religious sanctuaries. When the sacred becomes suspect, the damage isn't merely financial, but can corrode the moral foundation on which devotion rests. Instead of underlining the incident as an anomaly - which it may well be - trust has to be recovered minus any whataboutery.

SIT's decision to map the entire donation chain - from collection boxes to final deposits - is a welcome, necessary step. Transparency must be total. Every rupee offered as donation to the temple deserves the same scrutiny as public money, because temples, mosques and churches are repositories of trust within communities as much as of religious belief. The faithful give not to enrich individuals but to sustain ideals. If those ideals are tinkered with, the betrayal is spiritual as well as civic.

India's religious institutions, especially those commanding national reverence, must hold themselves to the highest standards of governance. The Ram mandir, built after decades of political and social tumult, cannot afford even the perception of impropriety. Resignations within Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust underscore the urgency of restoring credibility. Faith thrives on transparency. The Ayodhya probe must, therefore, be exhaustive, impartial and public. Anything less would confirm the cynic's suspicion that sanctity is immune to scandal. The temple's stones may have risen in splendour, but its true strength lies in the integrity of those entrusted with safekeeping of its offerings.