Ram Temple Trust Accepts Champat Rai, Anil Mishra's Resignations Amid Donation Theft Probe

Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of its general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Dr Anil Kumar Mishra amid the ongoing probe into alleged embezzlement of donations and valuables at the Ram temple.

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The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting of the trust chaired by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das in Ayodhya. Sources said unprecedented secrecy was maintained during the meeting, with no security personnel allowed inside and all participants depositing their mobile phones before entering.

According to sources, of the 15 trust members, nine attended the meeting physically while two joined virtually.

Sources also said Champat Rai and trustee Gopal Rao were not allowed to participate in the deliberations and were made to wait outside while the meeting was in progress. Dr Anil Mishra did not attend the meeting.

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Trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri later said that Rai and Mishra had submitted their resignations after allegations surfaced regarding the theft of crores of rupees in temple donations and other precious offerings. Accepting or rejecting their resignations was among the principal agenda items of Monday's meeting.

"Both resignations have been accepted. Champat Rai and Anil Mishra are now out of the trust," a source familiar with the deliberations said.

The trust decided that senior member Krishna Mohan will look after the day-to-day functioning and work of the trust until further arrangements are made. The next meeting of the trust has been scheduled for July 22.

Newly appointed Ram Temple Trust General Secretary Krishna Mohan said the donation controversy had exposed shortcomings in the temple's management and operational systems. He said there were loopholes in the existing arrangements that needed to be plugged and that he would make every effort to address them. Acknowledging that the controversy had tarnished the image of the trust, Krishna Mohan said all trustees would work together to restore public confidence and repair the institution's damaged reputation.

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The leadership changes come at a time when the trust is facing its biggest crisis since the consecration of the Ram temple.

A Special Investigation Team probing the case has reportedly found that employees responsible for counting temple offerings stole cash on nearly 70 occasions over a period of 40 days. Investigators have also claimed that the accused were aware of blind spots in the CCTV network and at times switched off or obstructed cameras to conceal the removal of currency notes.

Champat Rai had submitted his resignation on June 26, a day after police arrested eight people, including his driver Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, in connection with the alleged embezzlement.

The trust had itself sought an SIT probe after the donation theft allegations surfaced. Following the request, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team on June 13 to investigate the matter.

During Monday's meeting, several trust members expressed concern over the damage caused to the temple's reputation by the controversy.

Swami Parmanand Giri said protecting dharma was the trust's foremost responsibility and that institutions based on faith must remain sensitive even to seemingly small issues because millions of devotees are emotionally attached to them.

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Mahant Dinendra Das said the trustees had devoted their entire lives to the Ram temple and that the allegations had caused deep anguish. Swami Vishwaprasannatirtha described the controversy as a "stain" on the institution.

According to sources, several members also expressed displeasure over the role played by Champat Rai and Dr Anil Mishra in the developments surrounding the donation controversy.

The trust also discussed appointing a chief executive officer for the Ram temple on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath temple management model. However, members reportedly rejected the proposal and decided against introducing a CEO system for the Ayodhya shrine.

The acceptance of the resignations and the decision to entrust Krishna Mohan with overseeing the trust's work are being seen as an attempt to restore public confidence as investigations into the alleged theft of devotees' offerings continue.

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