Ram Mandir Donation Theft: Will Champat Rai Be Removed As Trust's Gen Secy? All Eyes On July 6 Meeting

Ram Mandir Donation Row: Amid the ongoing Ram Mandir donation theft investigation, the upcoming meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on July 6 is being seen as crucial. The future of the Trust's general secretary, Champat Rai, and member Dr Anil Kumar Mishra is expected to be discussed during the meeting.

According to High Court advocate Rakesh Pathak, the Trust deed lays down the circumstances under which a member can cease to be part of the Trust. These are as follows:

1. Resignation by the Member

A member can voluntarily resign by submitting a one-month notice during a trust meeting. Once the notice period ends, the member will cease to be part of the Trust.

2. Removal by Two-Thirds Majority

A trustee's membership can be terminated permanently if a resolution is passed by a two-thirds majority of the Trust members.

For this, a resolution alleging that the member acted against the interests of the Trust must be introduced during the meeting. If it secures the required two-thirds majority, the member loses their Trust membership.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has 15 members. However, three ex officio members, which include Central Government representative IAS Lokhande Prashant, State Government representative Principal Secretary IAS Sanjay Kumar, and Ayodhya District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, do not have voting rights.

As a result, at least eight voting members must support the resolution for it to be passed and for any trustee to be removed.

3. Special Provision

This provision applies only to Champat Rai. Even if he resigns as the trust's general secretary, he will continue to remain a lifetime trustee unless he also resigns from the trust's membership.

Former Ayodhya Bar Association president Janardan Dubey said that if a member is found to have acted against the Trust, they can be removed by passing a resolution during a Trust meeting.

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SIT Grills Top Trust Officials

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the alleged Ram Temple donation theft, continued its investigation for nearly eight hours on Friday, the second day of its inquiry.

The team examined financial transactions related to land purchases made by the Ram Temple Trust by verifying records with multiple banks. Bank officials involved in processing and counting cash transactions were also summoned for questioning.

The SIT reviewed census records and internal audit reports from previous years and seized several documents after reportedly detecting discrepancies. Investigators also examined the property details of three key temple officials--General Secretary Champat Rai, Trust member Anil Mishra, and administrator Gopal Rao.

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After concluding the day's proceedings, the SIT left for Lucknow at around 7 pm. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has extended the SIT's investigation deadline until July 15. The three-member panel, comprising Lucknow Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG Range Kiran S, and Special Secretary (Finance) Neelratan Kumar, has returned to Ayodhya to intensify the probe.

The Ram Mandir donation theft row began after an FIR was registered on June 25 over the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. The Trust has maintained that it is committed to a fair investigation and to preserving the faith of devotees.