India
oi-Ashish Rana
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will conduct a critical meeting on Monday in Ayodhya where the resignations of general secretary of the trust Champat Rai and trustee Anil Kumar Mishra will be on the agenda. The meeting takes place amid the on-going investigation into the alleged theft of the donations for the construction of the Ram Mandir, which has led to administrative and organisational changes within the Trust.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust holds a key meeting in Ayodhya Monday to discuss resignations and administrative changes amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged theft of ₹79,85,493 in Ram Mandir donations.
Key Trust Meeting Scheduled In Ayodhya
The meeting will begin at 3 pm at the Yatri Suvidha Kendra located inside the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi complex. Trust members are expected to attend either physically or through virtual participation.
Several senior trustees, including Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Yugpurush Swami Parmanand and Krishnamohan, have already reached Ayodhya ahead of the discussions. Treasurer Govind Dev Giri, Nripendra Misra and Swami Vishwaprasannatirth are also expected to arrive before the meeting begins.
Senior advocate and trustee K Parasaran, along with a few other members, will join the proceedings virtually. Trustee Mahant Dhinendra Das, who travelled to Gujarat to meet his ailing guru, is also expected to participate online.
Representing the Uttar Pradesh government, Ayodhya District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi and Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad will attend the meeting in person. The Centre’s representative, Union Home Ministry Additional Secretary Prashant Lokhande, is likely to join virtually.
Administrative Changes Likely After Donation Theft Case
Apart from considering the resignations submitted by Champat Rai and Anil Kumar Mishra, the Trust is also expected to discuss important administrative measures related to the management of the Ram Mandir.
There is speculation that the Trust may appoint new office-bearers as part of efforts to strengthen its functioning following the controversy. The alleged donation theft case has brought increased scrutiny on the Trust’s internal systems, making the meeting significant for its future administration.
Investigation Into Alleged Donation Theft Continues
The alleged embezzlement was first brought to the awareness of the members of the Trust in the first week of June and the public on June 27. The Uttar Pradesh government on June 13 set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the trust’s request to investigate the issue.
In the preliminary investigation, eight members of the Ram Mandir cash counting team were arrested. Those arrested are Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, Rama Shankar Mishra and Karunesh Pandey.
Investigators have recovered ₹79,85,493 from the accused. Police say the cash was found in various places, such as cow dung and haystacks and bathrooms.
The investigation has also uncovered connections among some of the accused. The duo of Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are cousins and are close to trustee Anil Mishra, who along with Champat Rai, resigned last week. Ram Shankar Yadav, who is believed to be an aide to Rai, and Manish Yadav are also related.
Trust Composition And Vacant Positions
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was formed on 5th February, 2020 with 15 Members comprising four Ex-Officio and 11 nominated Members.
The Trust has undergone changes since then. Trustees Kameshwar Chaupal and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra passed away in February and August 2025, respectively. In September 2025, Krishna Mohan (Retd. IFS) was appointed to replace Kameshwar Chaupal, and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra’s post is currently unfilled.
The outcome of Monday’s meeting will have implications for the structure of the Trust’s administration in the wake of the current allegations of theft of donations.
