Ayodhya : A crucial meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will be held in Ayodhya on Monday, with the future of former general secretary Champat Rai and ex-trustee Anil Mishra set to be discussed amid the row over alleged donation irregularities. Sources said the Trust is likely to formally accept the resignations of Rai and Mishra, effectively clearing the way for their exit from the institution.
The meeting, scheduled to begin at 3 pm inside the Ram Mandir premises, has a packed agenda. Apart from the resignation issue, the Trust is expected to examine a preliminary report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the counting and accounting of donations collected in temple donation boxes. The Trust is also likely to take up audit procedures for the financial year 2025-26 and discuss broader administrative matters linked to temple management.
Several senior religious figures and trustees have reached Ayodhya for the meeting. Those present include trustee Swami Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Yugpurush Swami Paramanand and Krishna Mohan. Trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri, trustee Nripendra Mishra and other members, including Swami Vishwaprasannatirtha, are expected to arrive later in the day. Senior advocate and trustee K Parasaran, along with a few other members, is likely to join the proceedings virtually.
The change in venue is being seen as an attempt to maintain confidentiality amid heightened attention over the donation theft allegations. The controversy has put both Rai and Mishra under the scanner because of their close association with temple administration and the accounting of offerings. Another invited member, construction adviser Gopal Rao, may also be kept out of the meeting, sources said, though there is no official confirmation yet.
The controversy comes amid a widening investigation into the alleged embezzlement of temple donations. The irregularities first came to light on June 7, prompting the Uttar Pradesh government to set up a Special Investigation Team. Based on the SIT’s preliminary findings, an FIR was registered on June 25 and at least eight people linked to donation counting operations have since been arrested.
Read Also : Arunachal Pradesh Launches Emergency Helicopter Relief Mission As Floods Cut Off Remote Villages