Ram Temple Trust Revamps Leadership After Donation Theft Scandal
India’s Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has reshuffled its leadership following a donation theft scandal at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Trustees accepted the resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, appointed an interim secretary, and formed a committee to identify candidates for a newly created chief executive role. The changes come after eight people involved in counting temple donations were arrested, with authorities recovering nearly ₹80 lakh from seven of them.
The trust described the incident as deeply unfortunate, with Treasurer Govindadev Giri calling it a “shameful” episode that had hurt everyone associated with the temple. Despite the theft, the temple has received over ₹582 crore in offerings as of March 31. The Ram Temple, inaugurated in 2024, remains one of the BJP government’s most significant projects, built on the site of the long-disputed Babri Masjid following the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict.
The controversy has sparked a political row ahead of next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The Congress party has demanded the dissolution of the trust and an independent Supreme Court-monitored investigation, while the BJP has accused the opposition of politicizing the issue. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also appealed for restraint, urging people not to allow the incident to be used to tarnish Hindu society or religion.
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