New Delhi: A day after the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust accepted his resignation, Champat Rai, embroiled in the controversy over the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case, penned a letter to Ram devotees and said he will respond to all the allegations raised so far once the Special Investigation Team (SIT) releases its final report.
Rai, who stepped down Monday as general secretary after a crucial meeting of the Trust in Ayodhya, said allegations against him are ‘baseless’ and he has now taken a vow of silence.
“Since 7 June, 2026, various discussions have been ongoing regarding the theft committed during the counting of donations from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple complex. Many people have levelled baseless allegations against me personally, but I have chosen to remain silent (maine maun dharan kar liya hai),” wrote Rai, who is also the international vice-president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). In his letter in Hindi, he added that the preliminary report of the SIT was presented in the meeting of the Trust held on 6 July.
“This report has now been made public although it was a ‘top secret’. I assure you that I will respond point-by-point on all issues raised related to the matter once the final report of the SIT is released. The entire truth will then come out,” he added. Rai said the VHP sent him to Ayodhya in October 1991 and he has been a pracharak for the last 45 years. “My life has been an open book wherever I have lived. My heartfelt respects to all,” he added.
The Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is an autonomous body constituted by the central government in 2020 pursuant to the Supreme Court order to manage day-to-day affairs at the Ram Temple. Some of its trustees and employees are now under the scanner of the SIT constituted by Uttar Pradesh government to probe the donation theft.
On Tuesday, the Trust clarified that Rai and trustee Anil Mishra are no longer members of the Trust.
The donation theft controversy surfaced on 7 June, triggering widespread outrage that prompted the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to constitute a three-member SIT to probe the allegations. The SIT was tasked with submitting its findings within 15 days. An FIR was also lodged and eight people have been arrested so far.
Meanwhile, the SIT has expanded the scope of its probe to look into assets accumulated by the accused.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)