Ram Janambhoomi Trust General Secy Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resign amidst Ram Temple embezzlement row

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Lucknow: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra have resigned, taking moral responsibility in connection with the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case, sources said on Friday.

The developments came after a First Information Report was registered in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The case has been filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government.

Those who have been named in the FIR are: Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others.

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This action followed allegations by former SP MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. In response to these claims, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 to probe the alleged scam, acting on a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lashed out at the opposition for its stand on the alleged embezzlement case at the Ram Mandir. Calling out the opposition, the CM said that those who had opposed the temple construction were now raising the issue for political gain.

The CM said that the state government would adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy against anyone attempting to hurt public faith, as he addressed a public meeting in Deoria after the first FIR was registered on the basis of the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) preliminary report. The Chief Minister was addressing a programme for the inauguration and foundation stone laying of 106 development projects worth over Rs 456 crore.

Following the allegations, on June 14, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust.

Also Read: Eight Held In Alleged Ram Temple Donation Theft In Ayodhya

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