Ram Temple trust clears former secretary Champat Rai of wrongdoing

Ayodhya: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trustee Mahant Dinendra Das on Tuesday said that the Trust found no wrongdoing on the part of former General Secretary Champat Rai during its meeting held on Monday, while asserting that all gold and silver donations made to the Ram Temple are safe and fully accounted for.

Speaking to ANI, Mahant Dinendra Das said the trustees had initially favoured retaining Champat Rai as no fault had been established against him, but accepted his resignation after legal advice.

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"All the key figures associated with Ram Lalla had arrived. The proposal was accepted. No wrongdoing was found on the part of Champat Rai by the trust. However, because of his resignation, everyone was ready to accept it. We said that since no fault was found in Champat Rai, he should be retained. But the lawyer handling the Janmabhoomi case received a call stating that since he has given a written resignation, it should be accepted. The trustees agreed that if the authorities or court held that a written resignation must be accepted, then everyone had to agree," he said.

Addressing allegations regarding valuable offerings made to the temple, Das rejected claims that gold and silver donations had gone missing.

"Regarding the serious allegations that saddened many--specifically about the gold and silver donations--all the gold and silver is there, safely stored and accounted for. A full report of it has been provided. Ram Lalla has ensured all work is completed. The mistakes being shown were mostly narratives from the media. Ultimately, the media's own errors were revealed," he said.

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He said Keshav Mohan has been appointed in place of Champat Rai and will oversee the functioning of the Trust. "In place of Champat Rai, Keshav Mohan has been appointed. He is looking after everything safely and overseeing all the accounts. The newly appointed member will handle the proceedings and continue providing full accounts," Das said.

His remarks came a day after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj announced that the resignations of Champat Rai as General Secretary and trustee Anil Mishra had been accepted following a Trust meeting convened in the wake of the SIT probe into the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft.

Swami Govind Dev Giri had said the negligence of the two office-bearers over a prolonged period was a serious matter and that those involved in the alleged embezzlement must face investigation and appropriate punishment. He also rejected allegations that valuable offerings had disappeared, stating that all donated items were documented and safe.

The Trust meeting followed a preliminary Special Investigation Team (SIT) report, which pointed to serious security lapses in the Ram Mandir donation counting room and alleged systematic theft of cash by some counting staff. The SIT said its findings were preliminary and that further investigation and legal action are underway.