Champat Rai, Anil Mishra resign
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and trustee Anil Mishra have resigned for moral reasons amid growing controversy over alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Trust Treasurer Swami Govind Giri confirmed their resignations on Friday and said the trust will review them at its next meeting.
A day after Uttar Pradesh Police arrested all eight people named in an FIR, the resignations happened. This followed a preliminary report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that examined how devotees’ offerings were managed at the temple.
VHP chief Alok Kumar said on Saturday that the Ram Temple Trust will meet in Ayodhya on July 7 to decide on the next course of action following the resignation of the two senior Trust functionaries. He said he hopes that a chief executive officer is appointed to manage the affairs of the Ram Temple.
In early June 2026, news emerged of possible financial irregularities in the collection, counting, and storage of donations to the Ram Temple. The Trust asked for an investigation to clarify the facts and address rumours.
On June 13, 2026, the UP Government set up a three-member SIT led by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant. The team checked donation procedures, financial records, and CCTV footage.
After the SIT’s initial findings, Trust member Krishna Mohan filed an FIR at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station. Eight people were named as accused, and police arrested all of them between Thursday night and Friday morning. They appeared in court in Ayodhya on Friday and were sent to judicial custody until Monday.
