Ram Mandir Trust Set to Accept Resignations of Anil Mishra and Champat Rai Today, Two New Trustees in Line

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set to formally accept the resignations of former General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra at a key meeting scheduled to be held inside the Ram Mandir complex today. Sources close to the trust say both resignations, submitted earlier on moral grounds amid the ongoing donation embezzlement row, are likely to be cleared during the sitting.

Two New Names in the Running

With Rai and Mishra stepping down, the trust now has two seats to fill. According to sources tracking the developments, Bajrang Lal Bangra and Dinesh Dauneria have emerged as the frontrunners being considered for these vacant positions. While nothing has been finalised yet, their names are said to be doing the rounds as the most likely picks once the resignations are formally accepted.

Treasurer's Role Under the Scanner

Even as attention remains on the resignations, questions are quietly building around the responsibilities carried by the trust's Treasurer. Sources indicate that his role and accountability within the financial setup of the trust are now being scrutinised more closely, given the broader allegations of donation money going missing.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri, who also founded the Geeta Pariwar organisation, chose to stay tight-lipped on specifics. He said he would address everything in detail only after the day's proceedings were over, adding that he planned to sit down with journalists that evening and hold a press conference once the meeting concluded.

Adding another layer to today's proceedings, there is a possibility that special invitee member Gopal Rao could also be asked to resign during the meeting. Rao, who serves in an administrative capacity at the temple, confirmed ahead of the meeting that invitations had gone out to all 14 trustees, and that he expected full attendance.

Case Widens on Several Fronts

Today's trust meeting comes against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the temple. The controversy first broke after former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey alleged that somewhere between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations had gone missing. An FIR was subsequently registered on June 25, naming several individuals connected to the temple's cash-counting operations.

Since then, the case has snowballed. A Special Investigation Team formed by the Uttar Pradesh government has had its probe window extended by 15 days to dig deeper, while police have carried out fresh raids at the homes of multiple accused individuals this week. Investigators are also now examining a separate angle altogether, whether some of the roughly 125 people hired for various positions at the temple had actually paid money to secure those jobs, raising the possibility of a jobs-for-cash racket running alongside the alleged donation theft.

Police are additionally weighing whether to invoke the Gangster Act against those already arrested, a move that could allow authorities to attach the assets of the accused, though this is still awaiting legal clearance.

Lawyers Turn Up the Heat

The Faizabad Bar Association has taken an unusually hard line through all of this. Its members have unanimously refused to represent any of the eight men currently in custody and have given temple functionaries Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao a three-day ultimatum to leave Ayodhya altogether, warning of a citywide blockade if they don't comply. The association has also filed a formal complaint with Ayodhya police this week and is pushing for a fresh FIR, a CBI probe, and has hinted it may approach the Allahabad High Court or even the Supreme Court if its demands aren't met.

All eyes are now on today's trust meeting, where the fate of the two resignations, the treasurer's standing, and the composition of the trust going forward are all expected to become clearer. With the SIT's investigation deepening and pressure mounting from both the legal community and opposition parties, the coming days are likely to bring further developments in what has become one of the most closely watched controversies to hit the Ram Mandir Trust since its formation.

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