‘Will Address The Press’: Ram Temple Trust Treasurer Govind Dev Giri Refuses To Talk Before Key Meeting

Ayodhya: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Treasurer and founder of the Geeta Pariwar, Swami Govind Dev Giri, on Monday said he would address the media after the conclusion of the Trust meeting being held amid allegations related to the alleged embezzlement of temple donations.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Govind Dev Giri said he would not comment on the issue before the meeting and would hold a press conference later in the day.

"I am not going to say anything right now. I will meet you tonight after today's meeting. I am here for three days. I will sit down with all of you and discuss everything. There will be a press conference after the meeting," he said.

Meanwhile, President of Ram Mandir Trust, Nitya Gopal Das, wrote a letter stating that he is deeply pained by the alleged theft of offerings from the Ram Mandir, but he has full faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He added that no one should politicise this matter.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is holding its meeting at the Ram Temple complex in Ayodhya, which is scheduled to be held at 3 pm amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations.

The meeting will be chaired by Trust President Nritya Gopal Das.

Trustees expected to attend include Treasurer Govind Dev Giri, Vishwaprasannatirth, Swami Parmanand Giri, Jagadguru Vasudevanand Saraswati, Krishna Mohan, Anil Mishra and General Secretary Champat Rai, sources said.

Ex-officio members District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad, Central Government representative Prashant Lokhande and Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra are also expected to be present.

Trust member K Parasaran is expected to attend the meeting through video conferencing, sources said.

However, sources said there is uncertainty over the participation of Trust President Nritya Gopal Das in the meeting in view of his health condition.

The meeting comes as the controversy has triggered a sharp political confrontation, with Opposition parties demanding a probe while the BJP accuses them of targeting the Hindu faith.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court is also scheduled to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on Monday seeking a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in donations offered at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjeev Shukla will hear the PIL, which was filed on June 12.

The petition seeks a CBI investigation into allegations of theft and irregularities involving donations collected through the temple's donation boxes. It also seeks an audit of the temple's donations by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

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