Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai resigned from his post on Thursday, citing "moral grounds", while trustee Anil Mishra also stepped down amid the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
These resignations arise after the probes have started in the case where it is alleged that the contributions made by the devotees in the Ram Temple have been misused. The government of the state of Uttar Pradesh had ordered for an investigation regarding these financial irregularities.
This comes after the arrest of eight persons who have been charged in the First Information Report (FIR) for the alleged misuse of contributions received in the temple. According to the sources, all eight have been found to be responsible for the counting of the money and valuables donated by the devotees in the temple.
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The FIR has been registered on the basis of a complaint made by Krishna Mohan who is a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. This complaint came after the recommendations made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). As per PTI reports, the accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Donation controversy sparks political battle
The alleged irregularities have triggered a political storm over the past two weeks, with opposition parties demanding accountability from the temple administration and the Uttar Pradesh government.
Former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey alleged that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in donations received at the Ram Temple had been misappropriated.
ANI Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team on June 13 after the temple trust itself sought an inquiry into the matter.
The SIT, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, examined the temple's donation collection, counting and storage procedures, scrutinised financial records and recorded statements from nearly 150 individuals associated with temple operations.
Officials familiar with the investigation said the preliminary report recommended administrative reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability, though the complete findings have not been made public.
Separately, a petition seeking a court-monitored investigation into the alleged financial irregularities was mentioned before the Supreme Court. The court declined an oral plea for urgent listing and directed the petitioner to mention the matter on June 29.
Opposition seeks accountability
The controversy has also led to demands for action against senior office-bearers of the trust. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has called for the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and demanded an FIR against Champat Rai, alleging corruption in the handling of donations.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has raised questions about the functioning of the SIT and also pointed out that the Uttar Pradesh government was trying to protect some powerful persons involved in the case.
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On the other hand, Nripendra Misra, who is the chairperson of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, clarified that the honesty of Champat Rai cannot be doubted because he had spent several decades with the Ram temple cause.
Meanwhile, Misra said that a full-time chief executive officer should be appointed for overseeing the administration of temples to increase transparency in this regard. Investigation into the issue of embezzlement of Ram Temple donations continues.
FAQs
Q1. Why did Champat Rai resign from Ram Janmabhoomi Trust?
Champat Rai quit as general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on "moral grounds" following the embezzlement scandal surrounding the Ram Temple donations.
Q2. What is the Ram Temple donation scandal all about?
The scandal pertains to allegations of ₹7 crore to ₹7.5 crore of donations collected at Ayodhya Ram Temple being embezzled. Uttar Pradesh government has directed an inquiry and eight people have been arrested until now.
