Ram temple trust accepts Champat Rai's resignation, appoints interim gen secy; to have CEO

Ayodhya: The Ram temple trust on Monday accepted the resignations of Champat Rai as its general secretary and member Anil Mishra in the wake of the donation theft row. Trustee Krishna Mohan has been named as interim general secretary.

Promising to overhaul the donation system and restore the faith of devotees, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust also announced the formation of a three-member search committee to identify a chief executive officer (CEO) for the temple trust.

The panel comprises retired judge Pramod Kohli, retired Lieutenant General Vishnukant Chaturvedi and trustee Suresh Haware.


Trust treasurer Govind Giri stated this after an over three-hour meeting of the temple body here to discuss the fallout of the scandal that has sparked widespread outrage and a political firestorm, with the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, which led the Ram temple movement, struggling to control the damage.

Giri described the theft from the temple's donation boxes as a matter of "deep pain and embarrassment" for the Trust, saying the controversy had cast a shadow over a temple built after a centuries-long struggle and countless sacrifices.

The treasurer, however, said the Trust unanimously appreciated Rai's contribution to the Ram temple movement and construction despite accepting his resignation.

Defending Rai, Giri said he "is untainted in my eyes" and hailed his "life of sacrifice" for the Ram temple movement, while suggesting that his only mistake may have been placing trust in the wrong people.

He said the entire donation management system would be overhauled and also faulted the State Bank of India, saying it should have lodged the FIR in the case.

Giri noted that Rai had stepped down voluntarily saying he felt it was not appropriate to continue as general secretary until the investigation was completed and those responsible were brought to justice.

He said the Trust had no discretion in the matter as senior trustee K Parasaran had pointed out that a resignation takes effect once submitted under the Trust's constitution, leaving the Trust with no option but to accept it.

Police have so far arrested eight people, mostly involved in handling and counting donations, in the case. None of the trustees is named in the FIR.

Newly appointed interim general secretary Krishna Mohan said his priority would be to plug loopholes in the temple's management system and strengthen its administrative processes.

Whosoever is found guilty will get appropriate punishment, he said, adding that all trustees will work to restore the confidence of people and manage offerings by devotees as per the Trust's objectives.

Mohan said he would continue in the post until the trust appoints a permanent incumbent.

The Trust also announced the removal of Gopal Nagarakatte from among the specially invitees, while maintaining that it would be inappropriate to attribute culpability to any individual until the investigation was completed.

Meanwhile, the Congress said that by accepting the resignations, the Trust has effectively accepted that the "chanda chori" reports were true, and demanded a Supreme Court-supervised probe into the donation theft row. The Samajwadi Party too urged the apex court to step in.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai demanded the immediate dissolution of the Trust and said that it should be reconstituted under the guidance of the country's four Shankaracharyas and other seers.

All 2,926 non-cash offerings are safe: Trust

Reiterating that allegations of missing donated articles were unfounded, the Trust in a statement said that 2,926 non-cash offerings received from devotees had been recorded in registers with complete date-wise details and were subjected to annual physical verification by an independent chartered accountant firm serving as internal auditor.

Giri said the Trust maintains a register of all articles donated to the temple and asserted that every such item was safe. He said the Trust was prepared to show the records and the donated articles to anyone seeking verification.

The Trust said silver articles donated by devotees had been melted into bullion at the Government of India's Mint, with records, photographs, weight details and purity certificates preserved.

Seeking to counter allegations that valuables donated by devotees had gone missing, Giri displayed ornaments and other costly donated articles kept in the Ram temple's custody before the media.

He shared details of the valuables and said they were safely preserved, asserting that claims of their theft were baseless.

Next Trust meeting on July 22 to discuss final SIT report

Giri said Krishna Mohan, who has been given additional charge as interim general secretary, would be free to choose a team to assist him and would oversee measures aimed at strengthening transparency and administrative systems.

He said the Trust will meet again on July 22, by which time it expects the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the embezzlement to submit its final report.

The report would be discussed at the meeting along with appointments of additional trustees, he said.

Giri said the Trust wanted all those involved in the alleged theft, including any larger conspirators, to be identified and punished, while cautioning against attempts to use the controversy to malign the temple Trust and create divisions among devotees.

He appealed to devotees not to be misled by "false propaganda" and said anyone with doubts about donated articles could approach the Trust office for verification.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Trust said it would not only implement the recommendations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) but also seek independent advice from experts to plug weaknesses in the temple's management and operational systems.

The objective, it said, was to establish a more robust, efficient and transparent administrative framework that could serve as a model for temple management.

The trust said it had sought a high-level SIT probe from the Uttar Pradesh government immediately after preliminary inquiries into the alleged irregularities.

It said the SIT's initial report identified eight persons against whom prima facie evidence was found, leading to registration of police cases and arrests.

It appealed to individuals, organisations and journalists having evidence of any irregularity involving persons associated with the temple to submit it to the SIT or the appropriate investigating agency.

The trustees also asserted that there had been no decline in the number of devotees visiting the Ram temple despite the controversy and what they described as misinformation surrounding the alleged embezzlement.

Mohan appealed to the media to report only verified facts, saying accurate information was essential to maintaining public confidence while the investigation was underway.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Giri said the Trust advanced its scheduled July 11 meeting to Monday in view of the developments arising from the donation embezzlement row.

The meeting started at 3.15 pm at the guest house inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex, with seven of the nine permanent members, including Trust chairman Nritya Gopal Das, present. Rai and Mishra did not attend the meeting. The meeting concluded at around 6.30 pm.