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Resignations, SIT probe on top of Ram temple trust’s agenda for July 6 meeting
Management of Ram temple in the aftermath of the donation controversy, audit report and 2025-26 financial statement also on agenda
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The resignations of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into allegations of irregularities in temple donation collections and management of the Ram Mandir are three of the top agenda items for a crucial meeting of the trust on Monday (July 6), HT has learnt.
In a letter dated June 28, seen by HT and confirmed by an official working with the trust, the body’s treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri mentioned five agenda items for the July 6 meeting. This includes the resignations, the ongoing prove, management of the temple, the audit report and the 2025-26 financial statement, and a fifth point that says other issues could also be discussed with approval of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the trust chairman. To be sure, the chairman is currently hospitalised.
On June 27, Govind Dev Giri had issued a letter confirming that the resignations of Mishra and Rai had been submitted. Both Rai and Mishra are expected to be called to the meeting to present their version in connection with the donation controversy, people familiar with the matter said.
According to the trust’s deed, a two-thirds majority is required to approve the resignations. But it is not clear just how many members will be able to attend the meeting and whether a quorum will be attained.
When the trust was constituted on February 5, 2020, it had 15 members – four ex officio members and 11 others. Among the 11, Kameshwar Chaupal and Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra passed away in February and August 2025 respectively. Krishna Mohan, a retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, was appointed in place of Kameshwar Chaupal in September 2025. It was Krishna Mohan who lodged the FIR in connection with the Ram temple donation controversy. Vimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra’s place remains vacant.
Four others, including chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, 89, Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, 90, Swami Paramanand, 90, and Supreme Court senior advocate Keshav Parasaran, 92, are ailing. At present, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Lucknow.
In effect, there might only be four members with voting rights at the meeting – treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri, Swami Vishwaprasanna Tirtha, Krishna Mohan, and Mahant Dinendra Das of the Nirmohi Akhara.
