LUCKNOW: In his first response to the ongoing controversy over alleged Ram temple donation money theft row, former general secretary of the temple trust Champat Rai said he would answer all the allegations point-by-point after the submission of the Special Investigation Team's final report.
Rai's remarks come as the SIT continues its probe into the alleged irregularities in the temple fund, examining financial records and questioning the accused.
"Since June 7, several discussions have been taking place regarding the alleged theft during the counting of donation money at the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi temple complex. Many baseless allegations were levelled against me, but I have maintained a silence," he said in a letter to the devotee.
Further, while defending his public life, Rai said that he had been working in Ayodhya since October 1991 after being deputed by the organisation and that he had served as a Pracharak for 45 years.
"My life, all through, has been an open book," he wrote.
It may be recalled that the temple trust accepted the resignations of both Champat Rai and senior trustee Anil Mishra during its Monday meeting in the temple town.
The trust has clarified that both Rai and Mishra ceased to be members of the trust after their resignations.
Meanwhile, the local court of Ayodhya has granted a day’s police custody of three accused, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra and Karunesh Pandey, for interrogation.
While hearing the police application seeking a seven-day remand of the three jailed accused persons, making it clear that their (the accused) custodial interrogation was imperative to take the investigation in the case forward, the court allowed a one-day police remand.
Earlier, on Sunday, a police team had grilled the five accused on the jail premises. Based on the inputs that emerged during the interrogation, the Ayodhya police filed the application seeking their week-long remand.
It is pertinent to mention that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the case had submitted in its preliminary report prima facie points to evidence of theft and pilferage of donation money during the counting sessions at the temple.