Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust’s General Secy Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra resign in temple donation theft case

Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, resigned on Friday, along with member trustee Anil Mishra, taking moral responsibility in connection with the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case.

The development came after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, news agency ANI reported.

In a letter to Trust Chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Rai said he was stepping down to ensure a free and fair investigation and to protect the sanctity of Bhagwan Ram’s work from controversy. He, however, denied any wrongdoing and said he was resigning due to moral responsibility until the investigation is complete.

Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case: Here’s what we know

A case has been filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61, and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government. Several people have been named in the FIR, including Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav, and others.

The FIR came after allegations were levelled by a former Samajwadi Party MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who alleged that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. In response to his claims, the state government formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on 14 June to probe the alleged scam and acted on the request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

UP CM slams Opposition over alleged embezzlement case

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slammed the opposition for its stand on the alleged embezzlement case at the Ram Mandir. Calling out the opposition, Adityanath said that those who had opposed the temple construction were now raising the issue for political gain.

He added that Uttar Pradesh would adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy against any individual who attempts to hurt public faith. He made these remarks at a public meeting in Deoria after the first FIR was lodged on the SIT’s preliminary report.

Addressing those who question issues related to Lord Ram and Ayodhya, Adityanath alleged that they had previously rejected both the existence of Lord Ram and the importance of Ayodhya. He added, “One side used to say that lord Ram doesn’t even exist, meaning these people wanted to deny Ayodhya itself. They kept fighting the case in court continuously, kept fielding armies of lawyers against the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, and the other side is the one that would wield sticks and fire bullets at those chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram.'”

He went on to say that those who fired bullets at the mere mention of Lord Ram’s name are now coming forward to say that there has been tampering with faith. “They would incite riots on Ram Navami, ban Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, prevent the Kanwar Yatra from taking place, incite riots during Durga Puja… Remember, the Congress didn’t just loot the country; they tore it apart. The records of dishonesty and corruption they established, and those very people are now casting aspersions on Ayodhya? This is unacceptable,” he added.

Reiterating the state government’s stand on the probe, Adityanath said the truth would emerge through the investigation and appealed to those making allegations to cooperate with the SIT.

“The government had stated from day one that the absolute truth would be brought to light. I reiterate: do not put the devotees of Ram to the test, do not trifle with their faith; if you have proof, present the evidence to the SIT,” he said.

Meanwhile, a new petition has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking a court-supervised investigation into the allegations. The plea requested the registration of an FIR and the constitution of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-led SIT to examine claims of missing funds, financial irregularities, alleged mismanagement, and other purported illegalities connected to the functioning of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.