Days after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra tendered their resignations over alleged theft of donations ar the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, their resignations were accepted during a meeting on Monday, July 6.
The Trust has appointed Krishna Mohan as the acting General Secretary, ensuring smooth conduct of operations till a full-fledged appointment is made for the post, IANS reported.
Speaking to mediapersons, Trust Treasurer, Swami Govind Dev Giri, said that both Champat Rai and Mishra were relieved of their positions.
He noted that the theft at the Ayodhya-based temple was deeply distressing for the entire Trust as well as the devotees of Lord Ram.
“Champat Rai himself decided to step down, reasoning that it would be inappropriate for him to remain in the post until the accused in the theft case were arrested and punished,” he said.
Citing the Trust’s constitution, the Treasurer informed that senior trustee K. Parasaran clarified that it mandates the acceptance of an office-bearer’s resignation immediately upon its submission. “It was on this ground that the resignations of both Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were accepted,” he said.
Further, he spoke about the major role Champat Rai played from the inception of the Trust and the commencement of temple construction to the present day.
Govind Dev Giri stated that several claims were circulating on social media suggesting that several religious artefacts had gone missing from the temple. However, he claimed that these were misleading and far from reality.
He assured people that the Trust maintains a duly registered record of approximately 2,800 religious and historical artefacts, such as the Ramayan and Charan Paduka (sacred footwear). “These records will be made public if the need arises,” he asserted.