Ram Temple Trust Accepts Top Resignations After Donation Theft

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra on July 6, 2026, following a scandal involving the embezzlement of temple donations. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) report revealed that counting staff had systematically siphoned cash, with CCTV footage from April 27 to June 5 showing employees concealing money in their clothing and shoes on roughly 70 occasions. The probe led to the arrest of eight individuals, including Rai's former driver, and the recovery of nearly ₹80 lakh.

Trust President Nritya Gopal Das condemned the theft and demanded the strictest punishment for the guilty. To restore transparency, the Trust appointed Amanchi Krishna Mohan as interim general secretary and formed a three-member committee to select a professional Chief Executive Officer. Treasurer Govind Dev Giri Maharaj attributed the lapses to a lack of bureaucratic discipline and professional oversight, though he defended Rai's integrity and suggested the driver may have been influenced by outsiders.

The Trust also disclosed receiving ₹3,264 crore since 2020, with ₹2,370 crore spent on construction. Meanwhile, political opposition leaders demanded the Trust's dissolution and a Supreme Court-supervised investigation, accusing the governing bodies of attempting to whitewash the crime. Champat Rai has vowed to respond to all allegations point-by-point once the SIT submits its final report, which the Trust will review on July 22.