Lucknow: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has appointed retired IFS officer and trustee Krishna Mohan as its acting general secretary after accepting the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra.
Incidentally, it is Krishna Mohan whose police complaint led to the registration of an FIR over the alleged embezzlement of donations made to the Ram Temple. He was inducted into the Trust on 9 September 2025, following the death of trustee Kameshwar Chaupal.
The appointment was announced at a press conference after a crucial meeting of the Trust in Ayodhya Monday. Addressing the media, Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri said the Ram Temple was built after a 500-year-long struggle, during which countless people had made sacrifices, including laying down their lives.
“The alleged theft of temple donations is a matter of immense sorrow for us. It is deeply shameful,” he added.
Announcing key changes in the Trust, Giri said Rai and Mishra had resigned, adding that “once a resignation is submitted, it is deemed accepted”. He further said that the Trust had formally accepted their resignations while acknowledging and respecting their contributions.
“We are fully prepared for the next phase of administration,” Giri said, adding that retired IFS officer Krishna Mohan will select his team and oversee the Trust’s functioning going forward.
Referring to media reports, Giri urged restraint, saying that several exaggerated allegations were making the rounds and should be verified. “Society should remain cautious about such reports,” he said.
He also clarified that sacred items including the Ramayana manuscript and the Kakabhushundi text, are safe. He said the Trust would present a register documenting these items to the media.
Giri further announced that the next meeting of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will be held on 22 July.
Krishna Mohan said to the media that the accused in the donation theft case would be brought to justice. He admitted that lapses in the temple’s management had been exploited and gave assurances that shortcomings would be addressed to prevent any recurrence. “There is a sense of distrust in society. We will work to restore people’s faith,” he added.
According to sources in the Trust, during the meeting, the proposal to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Ram Temple, on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, was also discussed. However, the trustees did not reach a consensus.
The meeting took place at a time when the Opposition has stepped up its attacks over the Ram Temple donation theft controversy and demanded an independent investigation, while BJP leaders have accused it of politicising an issue linked to the Hindu faith.
Ahead of the meeting, the Trust’s chairman Nritya Gopal Das issued his first statement on the controversy: “I have complete faith in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that every person involved in this wrongdoing, in any manner whatsoever, will be brought to justice and punished in accordance with the law.”
What’s happened till now
A three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on 13 June and is continuing its probe into the alleged donation theft. According to government sources, the SIT’s preliminary findings indicate that the theft took place within the trust’s donation handling system.
All eight accused named in the FIR were arrested. Among them is Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, who is said to be a close aide of Champat Rai. The other accused are members of the temple’s cash collection and counting team.
The FIR names Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Chandra Srivastava. It also names unidentified persons, indicating that there may be more arrests.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)