Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust to Hold High-Stakes Meeting Today on Champat Rai’s Resignation

Amid escalating controversies over alleged donation irregularities, the temple trust meets to discuss structural changes, with key members expected to abstain.

AYODHYA — The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is scheduled to hold a critical emergency meeting at 3:00 PM today. The high-stakes assembly will address the recent resignations tendered by its general secretary, Champat Rai, and prominent trustee, Anil Mishra, following intense public scrutiny and allegations regarding the embezzlement of temple donations.

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Due to heightened security assessments by local police, the meeting venue has been abruptly relocated from Mani Ramdas Chhavni—the traditional seat of the ailing Trust president, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das—directly to the heavily secured Ram Temple complex.

Key Developments Ahead of the 3 PM Meeting

This session marks several unprecedented firsts in the administrative history of the temple trust:

• Absence of Key Officials: General secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra—the central figures in the ongoing controversy—are highly likely to completely abstain from the day’s proceedings.

• First-Ever Voting Process: The board is expected to employ a formal voting mechanism for the first time to finalize pressing administrative agendas and structural overhauls.

• Financial Disassociation: Trust Treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri issued a clarifying statement distancing himself from everyday cash management, noting that apart from two specific cash instances, his transaction powers had been officially delegated to Anil Mishra and Champat Rai as primary bank signatories.

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Attendance and Regional Participation

While some members are attending physically, the trust has integrated a secure video link for senior members unable to travel to Ayodhya.

Physical Attendees

• Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati (Prayagraj)

• Parmananda Giri Maharaj (Haridwar)

• Swami Govind Dev Giri (Pune)

• Mahant Dinendra Das (Nirmohi Akhara Chief – Expected)

Virtual & Ex-Officio Attendees

• K. Parasaran (98-year-old senior advocate and founder trustee, participating from Chennai)

• Swami Vishwaprasanna Teerth (Udupi, Karnataka)

• Krishna Mohan (Hardoi)

• Four ex-officio members and invited representatives from affiliated saffron outfits.

Board Restructuring Under Review

Because accepting a voluntary resignation does not legally necessitate a voting process under the trust’s bylaws, internal sources indicate the core debate will focus on rebuilding public transparency and restructuring global operations.

“The Trust is independent to make its own decisions. Whatever needs to be done in the best interest of the Ram temple and its overall management will be known to all soon.” — Vinod Bansal, VHP Spokesperson