The bylaws of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust may be amended to allow the appointment of a chief executive officer (CEO) for the body and clearly delineate supervisory responsibilities, a person associated with the trust said on Thursday.
The trust is also weighing a change in its current banking arrangement, said the person. The trust holds accounts with the State Bank of India, the Punjab National Bank and the Bank of Baroda.
Govind Dev Giri, treasurer of the trust, and K Parasaran, a trustee and senior advocate of the Supreme Court who framed the trust’s bylaws when it was constituted in February 2020, have discussed the changes in the bylaws, said the person.
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Parasaran has already started working to incorporate changes , according to the same person.
{{/usCountry}}Parasaran has already started working to incorporate changes , according to the same person.
{{/usCountry}}“For appointment of the chief executive officer and to make administrative and financial changes in the Trust, its bylaws have to be amended,” said a senior officebearer of the trust.
“The trust is reviewing its administrative and financial framework after the SIT’s preliminary findings exposed serious procedural lapses in the cash-counting system. The objective is to strengthen accountability, tighten oversight and prevent any recurrence of such incidents,” he added.
The trust’s deed has no provision for appointing a CEO though it allows the appointment of staff members. It doesn’t provide for any specific responsibility of trust members other than the president, general secretary and treasurer.
The trust plans to present these proposals at its next executive committee meeting in Ayodhya on July 22, the person associated with the trust said, along with names of new trustees to fill vacant posts.
The trust has constituted a three-member committee comprising justice (retired) Pramod Kohli, lieutenant general (retired) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and former NIT Raipur chairperson Suresh Haware to recommend names for the CEO’s post.
Currently, all cash collected from temple donation boxes is deposited with the State Bank of India (SBI), Naya Ghat branch, Ayodhya. However, the trust is actively exploring alternatives, including engaging another bank or distributing deposits among multiple eligible banks, said the person.
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The move follows treasurer Govind Dev Giri’s meeting with senior officials of a private sector bank in Ayodhya on Wednesday.
The existing bylaws empower the board of trustees to keep deposits in one or more scheduled or nationalised banks, giving it the flexibility to alter the present banking arrangement through a board decision while safeguarding the trust’s financial interests. The board members are indemnified against any losses.
The review comes after former trust general secretary Champat Rai, in his statement to the SIT, accused the State Bank of India of failing to enforce basic cash-handling safeguards, including mandatory frisking of counting staff, pocketless uniforms and other security protocols prescribed for high-value cash operations.
The SIT’s preliminary report also highlighted repeated violations of security procedures during cash counting and questioned whether supervisory failures contributed to the alleged theft.
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Its final report, expected before the next trust meeting, is likely to determine accountability not only of those directly accused of stealing donations but also of officials responsible for overseeing the counting process.
The trust is expected to make its final decision on the proposed bylaw amendments and banking reforms after examining the SIT’s findings.