Ram Temple Trust to meet on July 22 as SIT probe into alleged donation theft continues

Amid the controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations made at the Ram Temple, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has called a meeting of all its trustees at 4 p.m. on July 22, Wednesday, a statement said on July 19.

The venue of the meeting will be Maniram Das Chhawani in Ayodhya.

In a circular issued by the interim General Secretary of the Ram Temple Trust, Krishna Mohan, the temple body mentioned that the meeting will include discussions on the impending final report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is expected to be received by then.

Another special meeting of the Trust is scheduled on the same day, July 22, at 3 p,m.

The appointment of the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Temple Trust is also expected to be discussed during the meeting.

The other agendas, as mentioned in the circular, include confirmation of the proceedings of the Trust meeting which was previously held on July 6 and reorganization of various committees as per the rules of the Ram Temple Trust.

During its July 6 meeting, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust accepted the resignations of former General Secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra, amid a probe into the alleged irregularities of offerings.

Announcing the decisions at a press conference after the meeting, Trust Treasurer Govind Dev Giri had described the alleged theft of donations as “shameful” while emphasising accountability and administrative reforms.

He said that the theft of offerings was deeply distressing and hurtful for the entire Trust and for the devotees of Lord Ram, and it was against this backdrop that the Trust members met to reflect upon the theft incident.

"Champat Rai himself decided to step down, reasoning that it would be inappropriate for him to remain in the post until the accused in the theft case were arrested and punished," Giri stated.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the theft of offerings from the Ram Mandir has entered a crucial phase, as the police intensively questioned key accused Ramshankar Yadav alias 'Tinnu' and his nephew Manish Yadav during their 39-hour custody remand.

Police had obtained a 39-hour remand from the court, following which both accused were taken into custody at around 8 a.m. on Saturday.

So far, a total of eight people have been arrested in connection with the case.

“Except for the headline, no changes have been made to the story by Education Post staff.”