Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust CEO Secy Champat Rai Trustee Anil Mishra Resigns In Temple Donation Theft Case | Today’s news
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, resigned on Friday along with board member Anil Mishra, taking moral responsibility in connection with the alleged theft of donations to the Ram Temple.
The development came after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, news agency ANI reported.
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Champat Rai resigned due to moral responsibility in the case of alleged donation theft related to Ram Mandir to ensure a free and fair investigation.
The allegations include the misappropriation of ₹7 to 7.5 crore in donations meant for the Ram Mandir, which led to the filing of a First Information Report and the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a three-member SIT to probe the alleged embezzlement, insisting that the probe will reveal the truth behind the allegations.
AAP has called for a court-supervised probe into concerns about financial irregularities, missing donations and the need for accountability in the functioning of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The FIR referred to several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5) in connection with the alleged gift theft.
Read also | Sanjay Raut claims ₹2,000 crore Ram Mandir funds were used to split TMC, Sena (UBT)
In a letter to Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Rai said he was resigning to ensure a free and fair investigation and to protect the sanctity of Bhagwan Ram’s work from controversy. But he denied any wrongdoing and said he was resigning out of moral responsibility until the investigation was completed.
Ram Mandir endowment misappropriation case: Here’s what we know
The case was filed under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), as directed by the Uttar Pradesh government. Several people have been named in the FIR, including Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others.
The FIR came after allegations were leveled by former Samajwadi Party MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who alleged that between ₹7 million and ₹Donations of 7.5 crores were embezzled from Ram Mandir. In response to his claims, the state government on June 14 constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam, acting on a request by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Read also | Ram Mandir Donation Row: FIR filed in ‘donation theft’ case; appointed money processors
UP CM slams opposition over alleged embezzlement case
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticized the opposition for its stance on the alleged embezzlement case at the Ram Mandir. Calling out the opposition, Adityanath said that those who opposed the construction of the temple are now raising the issue for political gain.
He added that Uttar Pradesh will adopt a “zero tolerance” policy against any individual who tries to harm public faith. He made these remarks at a public meeting in Deoria after the first FIR was filed against the preliminary SIT report.
Addressing those questioning issues related to Lord Rama and Ayodhya, Adityanath claimed that they had earlier rejected the existence of Lord Rama as well as the importance of Ayodhya. He added, “One side was saying that Lord Ram doesn’t even exist, which means these people wanted to deny Ayodhya itself. They were constantly fighting the case in court, fielding armies of lawyers against the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, and the other side is the one waving sticks and firing bullets at those chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
He went on to say that those who used to fire bullets at the mere mention of Lord Ram’s name are now coming and saying that faith has been manipulated. “They would incite riots on Ram Navami, ban Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, prevent Kanwar Yatra from happening, incite riots during Durga Puja… Remember Congress did not just loot the country but tore it apart. The record of dishonesty and corruption they created and these very people are now throwing at A is incomprehensible?
Reiterating the state government’s stand on the probe, Adityanath said the truth would come out during the investigation and appealed to those making allegations to cooperate with the SIT.
Read also | AAP attacks UP government over SIT probing Ram Mandir donation theft allegations
“From day one, the government has been saying that the absolute truth will come out. I repeat: don’t put Ram devotees to the test, don’t play with their faith; if you have proof, present the evidence to the SIT,” he said.
Meanwhile, a fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a judicial inquiry into the allegations. The plea sought the registration of an FIR and the setting up of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headed by an SIT to investigate claims of missing funds, financial irregularities, alleged mismanagement and other alleged illegalities in the functioning of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
