Ram Temple Fund Embezzlement: Champat Rai Claims Allegations against him “Baseless”
NEW DELHI, July 7: Breaking his silence for the first time over the Ram Temple donation fund embezzlement case, the former general secretary and hitherto de facto chief of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Champat Rai, on Tuesday rejected all accusations against him as “baseless” and said he would respond in detail only after the Uttar Pradesh government-appointed Special Investigation team (SIT) submitted its final report.
In an open letter to “Ram bhakts,” shared on X days after resigning as the general secretary of the trust, Rai said discussions over the alleged theft during the counting of donations from the temple’s donation boxes have been ongoing since June 6, 2026, and that he has personally faced several allegations in connection with the matter. He said he had deliberately maintained silence until now.
Referring to the SIT probe, Rai said a preliminary report prepared to examine the alleged irregularities involving the temple trust had now entered the public domain, despite being intended as a highly confidential document.
He said he would address every allegation point by point after the SIT submits its final report, expressing confidence that “the truth will come out” once the investigation was complete.
Defending his integrity, Rai said he was deputed to Ayodhya by the organisation in October 1991 and has served as a full-time pracharak for the past 45 years. He added that his public life has always been “an open book” wherever he has worked and conveyed his respectful greetings to everyone.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Tuesday confirmed that former General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra are no longer members of the Trust, ending speculation over their status.
Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri said the resignations of Rai and Mishra were accepted during the Trust’s meeting on Monday, following which they officially ceased to be members.
The Trust is expected to decide at its next meeting on July 22 whether to appoint Krishna Mohan, a retired Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer, as the permanent successor to Champat Rai as General Secretary.
(Manas Dasgupta)
