PTI
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 an 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.
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.
