LUCKNOW: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of its general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Dr Anil Mishra amid the ongoing alleged Ram Temple donation theft controversy.
The decision was taken at a crucial meeting of the Trust, after which Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri announced that trustee Krishna Mohan had been appointed officiating interim general secretary in place of Rai.
Rai and Mishra had submitted their resignations on June 27 following the alleged embezzlement of donation money at the Ram Temple.
Krishna Mohan, a 74-year-old former Indian Forest Service officer and the RSS's Kshetra Sangh Chalak for eastern Uttar Pradesh, was appointed trustee in September last year after the death of founding trustee Kamleshwar Chaupal. He had also lodged the police complaint that led to the registration of an FIR against eight named accused in the alleged donation theft case. All eight have since been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Govind Dev Giri said the Trust would meet again on July 22 to decide on the appointment of a new trustee.
The Trust also constituted a three-member committee to recommend names for the appointment of a chief executive officer (CEO) to oversee its day-to-day functioning. The panel comprises former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Pramod Kohli, Lt Gen (Retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and industrialist Suresh Haware.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Trust said it had completed the construction of the Ram Temple in less than six years after its formation in 2020.
According to the Trust, it has received Rs 3,264 crore through donation drives and contributions since its inception, of which Rs 2,370 crore has been spent on construction and related works.
It added that offerings received till March 31, 2026 totalled Rs 582 crore, of which Rs 391 crore had been spent on temple operations, while the remaining amount had been deposited in banks. The Trust said its financial details had been periodically shared with the media.
Addressing reporters, Govind Dev Giri said the trustees were deeply distressed by the alleged theft.
"The magnitude of the theft—whether small or large—is secondary. What pains us is that such an atmosphere developed here. It is our responsibility to introspect," he said.
He said almost all trustees and office-bearers attended the meeting, including Ayodhya District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi and Nirmohi Akhara Mahant Dinendra Das. Senior advocate K Parasaran, who drafted the Trust deed, participated through video conference.
Govind Dev Giri said Champat Rai felt it would not be appropriate to continue in office until justice was done, the guilty punished and the matter resolved.
He also said Parasaran had clarified that under the Trust's constitution, a trustee's resignation becomes effective immediately upon submission and does not require formal acceptance by the Board.
The interim general secretary, Krishna Mohan, will now constitute a team of associates to carry forward the Trust's work, he added.
Rejecting allegations that valuables donated to the temple had gone missing, Govind Dev Giri said media reports had exaggerated the issue.
"We have detailed registers of around 2,800 donated items. The records are available and can be shown," he said.
The Trust has constituted a committee to recommend additional safeguards to prevent recurrence of such incidents and said further decisions on appointments and structural reforms would be taken after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submits its final report.
Emphasising that theft was a grave offence, Govind Dev Giri said the Trust was extending full cooperation to the investigation and wanted all those responsible brought to justice.
At the same time, he alleged that some political parties were attempting to exploit the incident.
"Those who once questioned the existence of Lord Ram and whose governments ordered firing on karsevaks are today trying to lecture us in the name of devotion to Ram. Their intentions are not clear," he said.
The meeting began at 3.15 pm inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex under heightened security. The venue was shifted from Mani Ram Das Chhawani to the temple complex due to security considerations.
Meanwhile, sources said a closed-door meeting of senior Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders was held at Govind Dev Giri's residence ahead of the Trust meeting. The VHP later said it would respect whatever decision the Trust took regarding the resignations of Rai and Mishra, both of whom are associated with the organisation.